Brimbank Council is temporarily closing Council facilities and services in the suburbs identified by the Victorian Government as of concern in the fight to stop the spread of COVID-19.
In line with the restrictions, Council is temporarily closing facilities such as libraries, neighbourhood houses, the St Albans pop up gym and playgrounds/skate parks/outdoor exercise equipment/BBQ facilities within the suburbs that are under the State Government Stay At Home directions from today.
Sporting facilities within the restricted suburbs are also closed and the advice is that people from the restricted suburbs are not able to participate in community sport.
For those in postcodes 3038, 3012, 3042 3021 the Victorian Government is advising people there are only four reasons to leave their home including shopping for food or other essential items; providing care giving, for compassionate reasons or to seek medical treatment; for exercise (outdoor exercise only, with only one other person or members of your household); and for work or study, if you cannot work or study from home.
Brimbank Mayor Cr Georgina Papafotiou asked community members to follow the advice and to understand the restrictions being put in place. She said while Council shared the concern of community members and businesses about the impact of the lockdown, Council was committed to supporting residents through the period.
Cr Papafotiou said Council was aiming to continue to provide or reintroduce, some of the online services that had been successful in supporting the community during the previous closures.
‘As we did last time, Council will continue to instead offer online services where it can, and we’ll continue to support the community in other ways.
‘Current Council staff who are affected by the closure of services will continue to work across the municipality.
‘We know that having restrictions in some suburbs but not others is challenging and may take time for communities to understand. The impact of restrictions will be felt not just in the identified suburbs but across the municipality.
‘We need to support each other during this time. While only some Brimbank suburbs are in the State Government restricted list, we’re asking all community members to follow the advice of the health authorities, to use common sense in any decision making about what you’re doing and where you’re going, and to get tested if they have any symptoms.
‘The sooner we follow the advice, the sooner we can have these new restrictions lifted. It is vital that we do what we can and share the responsibility for taking control of the virus and work with the authorities to help ourselves.’
