A new group has formed in the Lake Cathie/Bonny Hills area to encourage people to connect and reach out to others in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Lake Cathie resident Michelle Teerman created the group after witnessing many elderly people struggling to carry out their groceries at the local Woolworths.
Given the large amount of elderly people who reside in Lake Cathie, Michelle said it's important for people who live in the area to reach out to their neighbours, check if they're okay and see if they require any assistance.
Read more:
Michelle said she can't predict how the situation locally might progress and hopefully the area won't have to go into full lockdown.
However, she said it's important the group was created just in case the situation escalates.
The group will provide a point of connection for people who need help, want to offer their assistance or others who just want to get in touch with the community.
Michelle said it can also be used as a tool for those staying home to share tips on how to cope during self-isolation.
The Stop, Drop and Roll initiative has helped a lot of people in the Port Macquarie-Hastings and Michelle said it's great to see some positive strategies people have thought up to help others.
"We're all in the same boat at the end of the day," she said.
Michelle hopes people might drop notes into their neighbours' letterboxes to let them know they can assist if needed.
"A lot of the elderly wouldn't know how to do their groceries via online services, for example," she said.
However, Michelle said this is the age group who should be taking all the right precautions to prevent getting COVID-19 as they often have pre-existing health conditions.
To join the group, visit the Lake Cathie Bonny Hills COVID19 Community Help and Support Facebook page.
Visit the NSW Health website for more information about the latest on COVID-19.
We have removed our paywall from our stories about the coronavirus. This is a rapidly changing situation and we to make sure our readers are as informed as possible. If you would like to support our journalists you can subscribe here.