With the reopening of State forests for camping this week, Forestry Corporation of NSW is reminding visitors planning a long weekend trip to take COVID-19 precautions.

Forestry Corporation’s Tourism & Partnerships Manager, Louise Faulkner said that visitors are now welcome to camp on State forests and visit picnic areas but should plan ahead for a safe trip.

“We are pleased to reopen most of our camping and picnic areas to visitors in time for the long weekend, but please remember that social distancing still applies, numbers for large groups are still limited to 10 and hand hygiene is essential,” said Ms Faulkner.

“This means you’ll need to pack your hand sanitiser, soap and water, and need to be across the current Public Health Orders.”

Current Public Health Orders can be found at www.health.nsw.gov.au

Visitors should also check the Forestry Corporation of NSW website for any forest closures and register their visit through the online form there.

“As part of the NSW Government’s efforts to track COVID-19 cases, we are encouraging visitors to lodge their contact details when camping in NSW State forests, via our website,” Ms Faulkner said.

“This information will be used to help track any COVID-19 cases connected to our campgrounds and for no other purpose.

“We also encourage visitors to download the COVIDSAFE app from the Australian Government website.”

Collected information in the camping self-notification form will only be provided to government as part of a COVID related request and will be kept in accordance with Forestry Corporation’s privacy policy.

To find out more about camping on State forests and self-notify your camping trip, please visit www.forestrycorporation.com.au