Toowoomba Regional Council response to the Coronavirus pandemic

The Toowoomba Regional Council continues to respond to the Coronavirus pandemic in a calm and measured way.

General Manager of Service Delivery and Sustainability Arun Pratap said Council’s Incident Management Team was communicating regularly with the State Government’s lead agency Queensland Health to ensure Council’s response was consistent with State and Federal Government expectations.

“In direct response to the Coronavirus, Council has in place contingency plans that ensures the continuity of critical community services if the status of the evolving pandemic event necessitates a change to business as usual,” he said.

“Critical community services includes the provision of a safe and reliable drinking water supply, the ongoing treatment of waste water (sewerage) and the collection and management of household and commercial waste. The community should not expect to see a reduction in service levels.

“At this stage, we’re also looking to maintain current service levels at our facilities, including gyms, aquatic centres, libraries and cultural centres, however we will continue to monitor this decision based on advice received from Queensland Health coupled with our own risk-based assessment which ensures the best interests of the community are of our highest priority.

“However, in line with the Federal Government’s stance, we will be postponing or cancelling any Council-led events which are estimated to have more than 500 people in attendance. The most recent of these is the decision to postpone the Citizenship Ceremony scheduled for Wednesday evening this week.

“We understand many people will be disappointed with this news however Council will look to reschedule the Citizen Ceremony as quickly as possible.

“From an ongoing workforce management and resourcing perspective, Council is introducing different working arrangements for staff to help protect themselves and limit the spread of the virus, but at the same time ensure there is no loss or degradation of critical services to the community.

“During this time, we are being as health conscious as we possibly can and have increased cleaning and hygiene services at all our public facilities.

“This is part of a greater risk management approach we’re taking, which includes specifically taking into consideration the needs of the elderly and those who are more vulnerable to the virus.”

The Incident Management Team will continue to work on business continuity and the health and well-being of the community as well as Council staff.