Published on Friday, 20 March 2020 at 12:54:28 PM
What is the Shire of York doing in response to COVID-19?
The Shire President issued the following statement on Friday 20 March 2020:
The Shire of York is following the direction of the Dept. of Health to provide an environment that is safe and healthy and will allow us to continue to provide essential community services.
To ensure the safety of our community and based on the latest advice from the Dept. of Health, the Shire has implemented the following measures to reduce the risk of spread:
- Ban on non-essential indoor gatherings of 100 or more. Indoor gatherings of fewer than 100 people are still allowed, there needs to be at least four square metres available for every person in the area.
- Allow non-essential gatherings of 500 or less in open areas only, there must be no more than one person per four square metres of ground space and hand hygiene products and suitable waste receptacles, with frequent cleaning and waste disposal, must be available
- No new events will be assessed or approved until restrictions are lifted
- Sanitation stations have been placed at the Shire Office, Visitor Centre, Swimming Pool, York Recreation & Convention Centre and Residency Museum and we have implemented increased cleaning regimes for all facilities
- A Special Council Meeting has been called for Tuesday 24 March to consider business continuity measures and reducing non-essential services including:
- Closing non-essential community facilities
- Reducing access to the Gymnasium to a maximum of 4 users at one time with users reminded to take necessary social distancing measures and to self-manage regular cleaning of equipment used.
- The Pool to remain open until the scheduled close date of Tuesday 31 March
All the above measures are subject to change pending further updates from the Dept. of Health.
Community Welfare
The social and emotional welfare of all our community during this time is important and residents who have restricted mobility and limited access to communication are at risk during periods of increased isolation. We are mobilising our Library Services to provide home delivery to vulnerable residents and using digital channels to support families with young children by taking our weekly StoryTime live online.
It’s important we all continue to look out for each other. Check in on others and reach out to those most at risk: neighbours living alone, the elderly and people with pre-existing medical conditions. It’s a good idea to confirm their telephone number so you can contact them during periods of isolation. They may also need your help to purchase essential items and fill prescriptions for essential medicines. Bulk buying is not required.
Please continue to follow WA Health’s website for the latest alerts and information regarding COVID-19 https://healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/A_E/Coronavirus
CR DENESE SMYTHE, SHIRE PRESIDENT
For further queries, please contact: Chris Linnell, CEO. Email: records@york.wa.gov.au Tel: 9641 2233
ENDS
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