Great news with the decision by the NSW Government to extend the Regional Seniors Travel Card for another two years.
This initiative has been a real hit and puts $250 in the pocket of eligible regional seniors to ease the burden of travel costs.
We promised this card for two years at the 2019 election – and we delivered. And now with the announcement that we’re extending it and expanding it to include even more seniors living in the regions will be welcome news as we move forward into the New Year.
The card helps ease the burden of travel costs for eligible seniors in regional, rural and remote areas of NSW by providing them with a $250 prepaid Visa card to be used towards pre-booked NSW TrainLink, regional train and coach services, fuel, and taxis.
In 2022, we’re also making the card available to those eligible for the Age Pension and receiving either a Disability Support Pension or a Carer Payment from Services Australia.
This initiative is very popular with our regional seniors, with 337,500 cards issued in 2020 and more than 354,000 issued in 2021… that’s more than 691,000 since we launched the card
This card is great news for regional seniors – and another way we are injecting money into regional economies with the benefit flowing to fuel stations, taxi drivers and local economies.
Already, the card has injected more than $131million into regional economies.
Applications for this year’s card opened on 17 January 2022 and close on 30 November 2022.
SAFELY MANAGING COVID-19 AT HOME
It’s important that anyone who tests positive using a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) will now be required to register their result with Service NSW.
The process is an easy one using the Service NSW website or by using the Service NSW app. Those without access to this app or website can contact Service NSW on 13 77 88.
This allows NSW Health to provide you with advice on self-isolation and how to manage COVID-19 symptoms at home.
By doing the right thing and registering, it helps ensure that no one slips through the cracks because high-risk people can be connected to clinic care services. It also helps the ongoing public health response as most people do not need a PCR test to confirm they are positive for COVID-19.
Remember, if you are under 65 years of age, have had two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, do not suffer from any chronic health conditions and are not pregnant, you may be able to safely manage COVID-19 at home.
In fact, the great majority of patients reported with COVID-19, well over 95 per cent, are managing safely at home.
