COVID-19 Coronavirus update 9 April 2020 - East Gippsland ...
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
COVID-19 Coronavirus update
9 April 2020
We understand there are heightened New directions from Chief Health Officer
levels or stress in the community at Victoria's Chief Health Officer, Doctor Brett Sutton,
this time as we learn to live with Stage has issued new directions to take effect from
3 restrictions on our movements and midnight 7 April 2020. The new directions include
activities. With Easter this weekend, changes to restricted activities, stay at home
these restrictions are impacting normal provisions for childcare and measures to include
life even more. access restrictions to additional residential care
The rules are clear: if you can stay services.
home, you must stay home. This does To read more about the new directions, please visit
not change over Easter. www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
• We must continue social 24-hour delivery of food and essential
distancing over the Easter period goods
• Stay at home, protect the health Victorian Planning Minister Richard Wynne has
system, and save lives approved new planning rules that exempt essential
• Remember there are only four businesses from noise restrictions to allow 24-hour
reasons to leave your home dispatch and delivery during the current State of
Emergency. This will enable supermarkets,
Victorian Police can now issue on the hospitals, pharmacies and other essential
spot fines of up to $1652 for businesses to meet the heightened demand and
individuals, and up to $9913 for provide groceries, medicine, cleaning and personal
businesses to those found not protection products to Victorians in need.
complying with the stay home
directions. Schools move to remote learning for Term 2
Easter is a popular time for recreational The State Government has announced that all
activities, so we remind you that Victorian government schools will move to remote
activities like fishing, boating, and flexible learning and teaching for Term 2.
camping, hunting and golf are not To slow the spread of coronavirus, the message to
permitted and can result in a fine. students and parents of government schools is
Please remember it is not acceptable to clear: all children who can learn at home must learn
abuse our staff, or the essential from home – with exceptions only in extremely
workers in any other workplace, or any limited circumstances.
member of public because restrictions On-site learning will only be available for children
or limits have been put in place. whose parents can’t work from home and
vulnerable students without access to a suitable
learning environment at home.
For more information, please visit
Victorian government schools will recommence on
Tuesday 14 April with a pupil-free day, with
www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus students to begin classes on Wednesday 15 April.
1COVID-19 Coronavirus update
9 April 2020
These new arrangements will remain in place for Closures to services and facilities
the duration of Term 2 and will then be reviewed.
Following restrictions and advice from government,
For more information, please visit council has taken measures to close some facilities
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/learning/ and services.
Pages/home-learning.aspx
All closures are in place until 30 April when the
Early Childhood Education situation will be reviewed.
The Victorian Minister for Education has Customer service centres
announced that the State Government will provide
All of our customer service centres are closed in
up to $45 million in extra funding to support
the interest of social distancing requirements.
sessional kindergarten providers.
We will be providing our services through
The funding will provide approximately $485 per
telephone, email and website.
child for term 2 for each child enrolled in a funded
kindergarten program. The funding will be available Our contact centre remains open on weekdays
for community-based, local government and school from 8.30 am – 5.00 pm.
providers that are offering sessional programs. You can complete many of our forms online at
To be eligible for the additional funding, these www.eastgippsland.vic.gov.au/forms
services must not charge families and allow Payments and other transactions are encouraged
children to attend 15 hours a week of early via the telephone or through our website.
childhood education or childcare for free. Any customers who need to drop off or collect
For more information, please visit items from a Council premises can make these
https://www.dese.gov.au/news/coronavirus-covid- arrangements by calling 5153 9500. Please request
19 to be put to through to the desired location and
make these arrangements with staff.
Firewood collection
We encourage customers to scan and email
In line with government advice and to contribute to
documents if possible.
the effort to slow the spread of coronavirus,
Victorians should stay home. We recognise you Bushfire Recovery Centre
may need to collect firewood depending on your The Bushfire Recovery Centre is now operating
circumstances. If you need to collect firewood, 8.30am – 5pm Monday to Friday via appointment.
make sure you follow social distancing We continue to support the community and are a
requirements by staying at least 1.5 metres away phone call or email away.
from anyone else while collecting.
To make an enquiry or appointment please
The firewood collection season is open until 30 phone 5153 9500, press ‘1’ to connect with the
June 2020. team or email
For collection locations, please visit: BushfireRecoveryContactCentre@egipps.vic.gov
https://www.ffm.vic.gov.au/firewood/find-a-
firewood-collection-area Referrals and advice continue to occur;
• Financial and legal support services
2COVID-19 Coronavirus update
9 April 2020
• Financial and personal counselling and Beaches
business support. Under the direction of the Chief Health Officer and
• Agencies that continue their support; the Department of Health and Human Services’
requirements limiting the number of people at
• Red Cross and Salvation Army
public gatherings, Council has closed the following
• Disaster Legal Help Victoria beaches and foreshores:
• Windemere • Tambo Bay, Foreshore
• Anglicare • Raymond Island, Foreshore
• Rural Financial Counselling Service • Marlo, Foreshore
Open by appointment • Port of Bairnsdale
• Omeo: banking and Centrelink services only • North Arm Foreshore, Lakes Entrance
Other site closures • Main Beach, Lakes Entrance
• All playgrounds, outdoor exercise stations and • Village Green Beach, Metung
skate parks
• Lake King Beach, Metung
• Off leash dog parks including Bosworth Road,
Bairnsdale, and Palmers Road, Lakes • Lake Tyers Beach, Lake Tyers
Entrance. • Picnic Point River Foreshore, Bairnsdale
• A quarter of council’s public toilets
• Eastern Beach, Lakes Entrance
• Bairnsdale Aquatic and Recreation Centre
• Dawsons Cove, Newlands Arm
• Lakes Entrance Aquadome
• Lake Bunga Beach, Lake Bunga
• Forge Theatre
• Paynesville Foreshore
• Orbost Outdoor Pool
• Progress Jetty, Paynesville
• Bairnsdale Library
• Sunset Cove, Paynesville
• Mobile libraries
Stop on green waste
• Visitor Information Centres
Thank you to everyone who has understood and
• Council-operated caravan parks in respected our decision to temporarily stop
Mallacoota, Eagle Point, Cann River and
accepting green waste at our sites.
Swifts Creek. New bookings are not being
taken and those with existing bookings have We know autumn is a busy time in the garden. We
been offered a refund or credit encourage you to keep gardening but stockpile
• Some public toilets at playgrounds and areas green waste until we can receive it again.
where people gather to reinforce social Don't have a green waste bin? If you live in a built-
distancing. alternate open toilets are available
up area you may be eligible for one. Check our
nearby. Signs have been put up to direct
people to the nearest facilities that are open. website https://bit.ly/2xXO6l3 and then contact us if
you think you may be eligible.
3COVID-19 Coronavirus update
9 April 2020
If you live out of town on a property of over an acre • Local Laws will continue animal collection and
you may be allowed to burn-off green waste the operating of the pound
(register with the CFA by calling 1800 668 511).
• Health officers will continue to work
You must only burn organics. Be mindful of the
smoke and the direction that the smoke is going. Immunisation sessions:
However, your best option is to stockpile until we Due to current restrictions on social distancing in
re-open our service. relation to COVID-19, immunisation sessions will
Gardening contractors can still deposit green waste now run by appointment only.
at our facilities, so anyone who’d prefer not to Further information please
stockpile may want to look into these services. visit: https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
Please remember that dumping of green waste is
never an option and anyone seeing illegal dumping Influenza vaccinations
What is open? Influenza vaccinations will, at this stage, be
available from 16 April from Council’s immunisation
The following facilities and services remain open. service by appointment only.
Best practise social distancing guidelines must be
observed in all public spaces. Please visit our website for updated information
and to find out when you can make an appointment
• Marinas for flu vaccination
• Planning at: https://www.eastgippsland.vic.gov.au/Services/P
ublic_Health/Immunisations/Influenza_Vaccination_
• East Gippsland Livestock Exchange, only
Program
people essential for a sale to proceed are
permitted Rhymetime and Storytime:
• Waste sites and kerbside waste collection We're bringing Storytime and Rhymetime online
expect green waste while our libraries are closed.
• Aerodromes Visit our website to watch them
https://www.eastgippsland.vic.gov.au/Libraries/Kids
• Raymond Island Ferry - casual fees are
_and_Teens
suspended for all vehicles to allow social
distancing. Council social distancing
We have introduced four hourly cleans of the Council is organising for its workforce to work from
ferry passenger deck from today. These home where possible. This is in line with the Prime
cleans mean that the deck won’t be available Minister’s requirement for people to stay in their
for foot traffic passengers from 9.30 – homes and avoid other people as much as
10.30am; 1.30 – 2.30pm; and 5.30 – 6.30pm possible.
as the cleaner will be on deck at this time. Testing criteria expanded
The ferry will operate during these times for Victoria’s COVID-19 testing criteria has been
vehicles only, expanded to include any person aged 65 years or
Those in vehicles are also reminded to keep older and people who have worked in public facing
their windows up at all times to respect social roles in the following settings:
distancing requirements.
4COVID-19 Coronavirus update
9 April 2020
• Fire fighters who undertake emergency • register your intention to claim on the myGov
medical response Welcome screen.
• Childcare and early childhood education If you’ve lost your job or income has reduced due
centres to COVID-19, and are:
• Primary or secondary schools. • 21 or younger, you may be able to claim
Youth Allowance for job seekers
Registering for Centrelink • between 22 and Age Pension age you may be
If you have been affected by the COVID-19 able to claim JobSeeker Payment
restrictions, Centrelink has now updated its • a young child’s main carer you may be able to
processes so you can register your intention to claim Parenting Payment.
claim a Centrelink payment on the Centrelink
website. This means you do not need to call or visit For more information visit
a Centrelink office to start the process. www.servicesaustralia.gov.au
You don’t need to complete a full claim right now.
Business support package
You can register your intention to claim at a time
and place that works for you. Centrelink will With the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
backdate your payment. impacting industries, the Victorian Government is
responding with a $1.7 billion Economic Survival
Once you’ve registered your intention to make a
Package to support businesses and workers.
claim, Centrelink will contact you to let you know
what the next steps are. One of the key programs in the package, the $500
million Business Support Fund, is now officially
If you have a myGov account linked to Medicare
or Australian Taxation Office open to applications.
You can register your intention to claim. When you The Business Support Fund will help small
sign in to myGov, you will be prompted to register businesses highly impacted by shutdown
your intention to claim a Centrelink payment. restrictions. Those businesses can apply for a
$10,000 grant towards operational costs and to
If you have a myGov account not linked to help keep people in work.
Medicare or Australian Taxation Office
To be eligible, businesses must already employ
You need to link to either Medicare or Australian
staff, have payroll of less than $650,000 and a
Taxation Office. Do this before registering your
turnover of more than $75,000. Full details on
intention to claim.
eligibility and how to apply are set out on the
Once you do this, Centrelink will prompt you to Business Support Fund webpage
register your intention to claim. business.vic.gov.au/businesssupportfund.
If you have a myGov account linked to $1,500 JobKeeper payment
Centrelink
Under the JobKeeper Payment, businesses
You can sign in to myGov and choose to either: significantly impacted by the coronavirus outbreak
• go to your Centrelink online account and start will be able to access a subsidy from the
your claim now Commonwealth Government to continue paying
their employees.
5COVID-19 Coronavirus update
9 April 2020
This assistance will help businesses to keep people • Direct contact with the body fluids or
in their jobs and re-start when the crisis is over. For laboratory specimens of a confirmed case
employees, this means they can keep their job and
• A person who spent two hours or longer in the
earn an income – even if their hours have been cut.
same room
The JobKeeper Payment is a temporary scheme
• Face-to-face contact for more than 15 minutes
open to businesses impacted by the coronavirus.
with the case in any other setting not listed
The JobKeeper Payment will also be available to
above.
the self-employed.
What are the symptoms of COVID-19?
The Government will provide $1,500 per fortnight
per employee for up to 6 months. Many people who contract COVID–19 will suffer
only mild symptoms. However early indications are
The JobKeeper Payment will support employers to
that the elderly and people with pre-existing
maintain their connection to their employees and
medical conditions are more at risk of experiencing
reactivate their operations quickly when the crisis is
severe symptoms.
over.
The most common coronavirus symptoms reported
https://www.business.gov.au/Risk-
include:
management/Emergency-
management/Coronavirus-information-and-support- • Fever
for-business • Breathing difficulties such as breathlessness
‘Stay at Home’ direction • Cough
The Victorian Government is directing all Victorians • Sore throat
to stay at home to help limit the spread of
coronavirus (COVID-19). • Fatigue or tiredness
For the full list of frequently asked questions, visit More information on COVID-19
https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus-stay-
Visit the Department of Health and Human
home-and-restricted-activities-directions-faq
Services website for the latest advice and updates
How is COVID-19 spread? on the response to COVID-19:
It is spread through close contact with an infected www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
person. Keeping a distance of 1.5 metres from If you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-
other people is recommended. 19, please contact your GP or call the dedicated
Close contact means greater than 15 minutes hotline on 1800 675 398.
face-to-face or the sharing of a closed space for The Department of Health and Human Services
more than two hours with a confirmed case. also has a self-assessment chart to help you
A close contact could include any person meeting decide if you should be tested.
any of the following criteria:
• Living in the same household or similar setting
(for example, a boarding school or hostel)
6You can also read
