The City of Melbourne is managing the staged closure of our libraries, recreation centres and community sporting fields in response to the return of stage three COVID-19 restrictions.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said the delivery of essential services will continue as stage three restrictions come into place from 11:59pm tomorrow.
“We know the return of restrictions is devastating for our business community and for vulnerable residents, but we all have a responsibility to slow the spread of the virus and keep people safe,” the Lord Mayor said.
“We must continue to be compassionate and care for each other while doing our best to comply with these restrictions.
“We must do everything we can to reduce the rate of community transmission. That means no community sport, no visits to our library branches and the closure of our recreation centres.”
“Our entertainment and cultural venues will all need to close.”
“These restrictions will be very challenging for our restaurants and cafes. I’m asking everyone to continue to support their favourite local haunts through takeaway and delivery orders. These businesses are part of the fabric of our city and help make Melbourne marvellous. They need our support more than ever.
“I understand that many people are worried for their health and livelihoods and that this is a challenging and difficult time. We have a dedicated business concierge hotline available to provide information on what support is available.
Small businesses wishing to speak with a City of Melbourne Business Concierge representative can call 9658 9658 and press 1 for the Business Concierge. Our team will do their best to provide advice about Local, State and Federal assistance available to businesses affected by COVID-19.
The Lord Mayor said the Queen Victoria Market is open for business as it performs an essential community function.
“Queen Vic Market will continue trading because it’s essential that people have access to fresh food and vegetables. The general merchandise traders will need to close again on the advice of health authorities,” the Lord Mayor said.
The City of Melbourne will do everything possible to continue to deliver essential services such as waste and recycling, services to older people, children’s services, homelessness services and animal management.
All City of Melbourne libraries will be closed from 4pm on Wednesday 8 July until further notice. Thousands of free eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines, online newspapers, films, videos and learning resources are available free online.
“The City of Melbourne’s libraries are some of the best resourced in the country and offer a huge array of free materials, whether its eBooks or eAudiobooks, online learning or TV shows and films,” the Lord Mayor said.
All City of Melbourne and recreation centres, including Melbourne City Baths, North Melbourne Recreation Centre, Kensington Community Recreation Centre, Carlton Baths and North Melbourne Community Centre, Kensington Town Hall, Docklands Hub and Melbourne City Marina will be closed from close of business on Wednesday 8 July until further notice.
All City of Melbourne child care facilities will operate as usual at this time.
The advice from the State Government is that childcare centres remain open, except where individual services have been directed to close by health authorities.
Please visit the Department of Health and Human Service’s COVID-19 hub for health information: dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
