Council’s response to Coronavirus

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On advice from State and Federal Governments Armidale Regional Council is implementing a number of social distancing policies and temporary public facility closures to ensure the safety of our community and to Council staff.

Council is committed to doing everything in its power to reduce the spread of Coronavirus in our region. As of today Council is not aware of any confirmed cases in the Armidale region but is taking very seriously the recommendations from health authorities and the State and Federal Government to immediately implement rigorous social distancing policies now.

From today, staff not on the frontline will be working from home and some public Council facilities will be closed from Monday 23 March. These include:

Armidale Regional Council Mayor Cr Simon Murray said these are challenging and unprecedented times for our nation and our region.

“Council is responding quickly to recommendations from the Government and is being proactive to ensure we reduce the effects of Coronavirus.

“Over the counter non-essential customer services will no longer be available in either the Armidale or Guyra offices. This will continue for the foreseeable future and will be evaluated constantly,” said Cr Murray.

“This is uncharted territory for our organisation, but I am confident that we will continue to function as normally as possible. This is a dynamic and changeable environment as we as an organisation adapts, so please bear with us as your interactions with Council will be a little different.”

Both the Armidale and Guyra Libraries have extensive online services for e-books, magazines, all available via Council’s website. Council will continue to provide all services online and our phone lines will be available 24/7.

Council will continue to be proactive and provide regular updates to the community. Please stay up to date via Council’s online channels, via local newspapers and radio. If you are unsure of anything in relation to Council services, our customer service centre is operational 24/7 over the phone or email and will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have or point you in the right direction.

“There will be light at the end of the tunnel and life will get back to normal,” said Cr Murray.

“We must work together and look out for each other, our family, friends and neighbours.  We must unite to combat the global coronavirus. If you believe you have any of the symptoms, please seek help and keep away from public areas.”

For further information on public health advice and social distancing actions stay up-to-date at www.health.gov.au

Published on 18 Mar 2020