Council is leading proactive approach to COVID-19 prevention

Goondiwindi Regional Council is encouraging all members of the community to take a proactive approach to proper hygiene and social distancing to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

As per the latest advice from Queensland Health, Council has applied new measures across all of its customer service centres, libraries, cinema and theatres, visitor information centres and art galleries.

1.5m distance zone

These measures include the supply of hand sanitiser for staff and customer use, a 1.5m distancing zone from service counters, the provision of disposable gloves to staff handling money and mail, and signage in all toilets for reference of self-hygiene and handwashing practices.

Residents are also being asked to make their Council enquiries online or over the phone where possible, rather than in person.

At the time of this release, there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Goondiwindi region.

Mayor of Goondiwindi Regional Council Graeme Scheu is advising all residents and businesses in the region to familiarise themselves with the latest advice about COVID-19 from the Australian Government and Queensland Health. He said social distancing and proper hygiene practices are identified as being key to reducing the spread of the virus.

“The latest advice is to really reduce close contact where possible and I’m asking all residents and businesses to think seriously about what they can do to help prevent the spread,” Cr Scheu said.

“We’ve already seen some really wonderful examples of forward-thinking prevention measures from businesses in our community and I strongly encourage all others to look for similar solutions in their workplace to reduce our region’s risk as a whole,” the Mayor said.

“People need to be cautious, but please continue to support your local businesses as they implement the recommendations by the Australian Government and Queensland Health. They are working hard to provide a suitable environment that you can feel comfortable in.  We need everyone to do their bit, which includes supporting local businesses”.

As per the new directive from the Australian Government, organisations are also reminded to restrict the capacity of enclosed areas to keep a distance of at least 1.5 m between all persons, and adhere to a total limit of 100 people. Residents should not attend meetings or events that have the potential to attract more than 100 people in an indoor setting. 

Other measures currently advised by Queensland Health include thorough hand washing, not shaking hands with others, and sneezing into your arm or a tissue only – not your hands. Self-isolation is also recommended for some.  The Queensland Health website provides clear and detailed information to help you make informed decisions.

“I really would expect all businesses in our region to be putting precautions in place to protect themselves and their customers,” Cr Scheu said. “It might be reducing the capacity of patrons in your venue, enforcing distance from service counters, having hand sanitiser and gloves available or reducing face-to-face meetings where possible.”

Council encourages all residents to keep up to date with the latest advice about COVID-19 from Queensland Health.