COVID-19- Snowy Valleys

Updated Friday 27th March

Snowy Valleys Council will be closing all in-person customer services until further notice to slow the spread of COVID-19 following the Federal and State Government announcements.

Council continues to deliver essential services such as kerbside waste and recycling collections, as well as the cleaning of public amenities. Plans will be in place to manage this situation as it changes, as per advice from NSW Health.

It is important in times like this that the Snowy Valleys community comes together and adheres to Health Advice, to ensure we slow the spread of COVID-19.

· All Council events programmed to occur before the end May 2020 are cancelled or postponed

· All Council led committee and working group meetings, including those of s.355 and advisory committees are cancelled further notice. Meetings where urgent business is required will be facilitated by video, phone or other alternative means where this is possible.

Council Services now closed:

• All Council customer service desks. All customer service interactions will be over the phone or online.

Call 1300 ASK SVC (1300 275 782)

Email: info@svc.nsw.gov.au

Website: www.svc.nsw.gov.au

• All Council Swim, Sport and Fitness Facilities
• All Council Libraries – Customers can still access library services on-line
• All Council owned Sporting Fields
• Council owned Museums
• Council run Visitor Information Services
• All Council owned halls and facilities
• Council maintained holiday facilities: Mannus Lake campsite, Jingellic campsite, Towong campsite (NSW side of the Murray River), Bringenbrong Reserve, Paddy’s River, Paddy’s Falls, Henry Angel, Jones Bridge camp ground, RV sites in Adelong and Batlow and the Tumbarumba Caravan Park.

· Council has also placed signs at playgrounds, skate parks, pump tracks and picnic facilities across the region reminding people to adhere to social distancing requirements.

Waste Services

All Waste Transfer Stations are open as normal please see our website for opening hours

http://www.snowyvalleys.nsw.gov.au/Services/Rubbish-Recycling/Waste-Depots

You can find information on COVID-19 on the below links:

NSW Government - www.nsw.gov.au/coronavirus

SafeWork NSW - www.safework.nsw.gov.au

Federal Department of Health - www.health.gov.au

World Health Organisation - www.who.int

For further information, call the Coronavirus Health Information Line on  1800 020 080. The line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Responding to changing conditions from the Federal and State governments Snowy Valleys Council has initiated working from home policies and procedures for office staff and additional distancing and hygiene guidelines and tools for outdoor teams to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

CEO Matthew Hyde said as many office based people as possible were transitioning to work from home arrangements or leave arrangements.

“The aim is to have very minimal numbers of workers in the office areas to ensure those staff that cannot work from home due to connectivity issues can practice essential social distancing,” he said.

“Most of our outdoor staff are continuing with their normal duties and implementing social distancing in regards to work proximity, travelling and shared areas wherever possible, and workers have been provided with information about hygiene and PPE requirements to manage any risks of exposure.

“Management plans have also been put in place to allow staff working in essential services to continue their work with risk mitigation strategies as well as for staff who are identified as high risk or vulnerable to ensure their wellbeing in line with government information,” Mr Hyde confirmed.

Council last week closed its doors to the public and are asking people to interact with council services via phone, email or on-line.

Mr Hyde said that staff are still available to provide customer service and to assist with customer requests just not face-to-face.

“We are working hard behind the scenes to keep delivering our services in alternative ways to help protect our people as well as our communities,” he said.

“These are difficult and unprecedented times and our staff remain available via phone and email and will continue to do everything possible to assist customers with their inquiries”.

Council can be contacted during business hours via phone: 1300 ASK SVC (1300 275 782); Email: info@svc.nsw.gov.au or Website: www.svc.nsw.gov.au.

Police will have the power to issue $1000 on-the-spot fines for individuals and $5000 for corporations not complying with ministerial directions relating to COVID-19, as part of a state-wide crackdown on reckless behaviour to slow the spread of the virus.

Officers will also no longer require a warrant to arrest an individual breaching a public health order, after the NSW Government passed legislation to give Police greater powers to enforce orders under the Public Health Act 2010.

Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott said the measures were tough but necessary to minimise the risk the pandemic poses to public safety.

“Despite the majority of people doing the right thing, we are still seeing reckless and irresponsible behaviour that endangers the lives of others, particularly to elderly and immunocompromised members of the community,” Mr Elliott said.

“The rules are clear and they apply to everyone. No one is above the law. If you decide to ignore a direction, you will be caught and you may find yourself slapped with a hefty fine.”

“Our message to the community is simple: be vigilant, be sensible, and stay up to date with the latest health advice.”

Police also have the option to charge anyone found failing to comply with a ministerial direction, which carries a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and/or an $11,000 fine for an individual and $55,000 for a corporation.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said the circumstances called for strong action – and police stand ready to respond.

“I’m encouraged that most members of the community are taking this issue seriously and adhering to government advice,” Mr Fuller said.

“However, disturbingly, our officers have already responded to dozens of reports of breaches of ministerial directions.”

Members of the public can report to Crime Stoppers if they hold concerns an individual or community is failing to comply with Public Health Orders. You can report online at www.nsw.crimestoppers.com.au or call 1800 333 000.

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will temporarily close all campgrounds, high visitation areas and historic sites across NSW until further notice, in response to tighter Australian and NSW Government health directives on social distancing and non-essential travel to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in the wider community.

National parks and reserves are special environmental, cultural and recreational places for the people of NSW and they will remain open to the community, but the health and safety of our visitors, staff and the wider community is our priority and these measures are important.

The following closures will take effect:

• Campgrounds closed in line with the Government Public Health Order from 26 March 2020
• Visitor centres, cafes and high visitation areas will be closed from 26March 2020
• Historic sites will be closed from 26 March 2020 (except for permanent residents)

All visitors with bookings impacted by the closures will be contacted to arrange full refunds.

For a full list of impacted High Visitation Areas please visit nswparks.info/covid19.

All roads through national parks remain open.

Most walking tracks and trails will also remain open and visitors should observe necessary social distancing with others while using pathways and other facilities to maximise their safety.

Parks that are already closed due to fire impacts remain closed. Please check our NPWS Alerts page for details.

NPWS staff and volunteer led tours and events have been cancelled with full refunds.

As this is a rapidly changing situation, we ask visitors to check our website regularly for updates nswparks.info/covid19.

We know how important our national parks and reserves are as areas for conservation and recreation and we are committed to reopen these areas as soon as possible in line with government and health advice.

NPWS staff will continue to undertake environmental protection and maintenance work in our parks and reserves, subject to all government and health advice, including in areas where important bushfire recovery action is underway. Other NPWS staff will work remotely to continue delivering conservation, research, visitor information and education services.

For more information about COVID-19 in NSW and how to protect yourself and the community, please visit the NSW Health website.

Council is currently operating under the latest advice and guidance from NSW State Government (NSW Health) and the Federal Government (Department of Health) which are the lead agencies in relation to the management of COVID-19 (Coronavirus).

In addition to published advice, Council’s Leadership team is receiving daily updates with Murrumbidgee Local Health and has regular communication with local State and Federal representatives regarding government advice, alerts and information relevant to our area.

Snowy Valleys Council staff are also working closely with partner Councils in the Canberra Region Joint Organisation to share operational knowledge and advice on the development of appropriate processes and local guidance.

“To ensure we can keep our community updated, we’re establishing increased communication alerts to distribute factual, locally-based information the community in regards to COVID-19 using social media, Council’s website, radio and hard copy in locations across the region,” said Snowy Valleys Council Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Hyde.