The state's roadmap to freedom may be out but it's still vague how children specific indoor recreation organisations will operate, with the executive director of Circus Monoxide fearing kids will miss out on services until December.
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Carmel Shenke is frustrated at the lack of clarity around rules surrounding unvaccinated people under the age of 16, as minors make up the majority of her students taking weekly circus classes - like juggling, aerial fitness conditioning and handstands.
"It makes it difficult for what are we looking at for the rest of the year - while our online classes are incredible, there's not a large uptake ... parents often want their kids off zoom after a day of school," she said. "But disruption drives innovation."
Currently, the NSW Health website states unvaccinated people under 16 can access indoor venues from October 11 if they are with one vaccinated adult from their family; gyms and indoor recreation facilities can have classes of up to 20 vaccinated adults; sporting facilities can reopen.
Freedoms announced for when the state hits 80 per cent double dose of vaccinations apply to "fully vaccinated adults (16+) and those with medical exemptions (staff and patrons)" but no specifics on minors.
Meantime, students will return to school in a staggered fashion between October 25 and November 8, but extra-curricular activities or assemblies won't be allowed just yet.
So what happens to the Fairy Meadow circus school or other organisations that offer recreational activities for children like a kindy gym or a trampoline centre?
When the Mercury sought clarification from NSW Health regarding unvaccinated persons under the age of 16 a spokeswoman added to the ambiguity.
"The finer details of the roadmap are currently being worked through by the NSW Government, but there will be requirements in place to ensure only those who have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine can take advantage of the freedoms," the spokesperson said.
"Further information will be provided as we get closer to 70 per cent of our population being double vaccinated."
Meantime, what has made matters more "devastating" Ms Shenke said, was being met with more ambiguity over which grants the circus would be eligible for.
"We had gone to [the NSW Office of Sport] to see if we could receive funding there but we've been told 'no' and to go to Create NSW as we're a cultural organisation," Ms Shenke said, yet they were then told Circus Monoxide was not eligible for any part of June's Performing Arts COVID Support Package.
There were, however, eligible for a small business grant.
"I feel we've had to plan for the worst case scenario and we've written off Term 4, on top of Term 3 and the July and September school holidays, which all of that is our major income.
"The thing we're focused on now is the confidence of the community in getting their kids back out into programs like [what we offer]."
She said they were not going to "sit back and say 'poor us'" and were planning for summer holiday workshops and innovating new programs - such as the current online workshop offering and new programs aimed at corporate wellbeing and team building.
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