Ipswich City Council will close various facilities it manages for the duration of the three-day lockdown announced today by the State Government.
This includes all council libraries, the Ipswich Art Gallery, Ipswich Civic Centre and public pools.
The lockdown comes into effect from 6pm on Friday 8 January.
The facilities will not be reopened until the lockdown is lifted, which at this stage is set for 6pm Monday 11 January.
Following is the list of council managed facilities which will be closed:
- All libraries
- Art Gallery
- Civic Centre
- Visitor Information Centre
- Fire Station 101
- Council community centres
The Customer Service Desk in the ICC Administration Building and the council call centre will remain open.
Customers will be required to wear a mask if they visit our customer service counter as per Queensland Health requirements.
And council’s Safe City operations will continue unaffected.
Council also announced that various outdoor facilities will be closed for the duration of the lockdown.
These include all public pools, including the Orion Lagoon at Robelle Domain, the Queens Park nursery and all mobile nursery events.
The Ipswich Nature Centre, Queens Park Nursery and Queens Park Education Centre are also closed.
Picnic areas across natural estates remain open, as do council parks and dog off-leash areas.
But, as per State Government and Queensland Health guidelines, anyone in a public place must wear a mask at all times.
Organised sport has been cancelled for the three-day period.
Authorities have again allowed people to exercise – with restrictions on where and with how many others – and council parks remain open for this purpose.
Playground and exercise equipment in those parks will not be closed or fenced off. However, given the latest advice from the government on this very contagious COVID-19 variant, council suggests people do not use the equipment during the duration of the lockdown.
Council’s waste services remain open, again with residents using these facilities required to wear a face mask and to pay with eftpos or credit card, not cash.
Queensland Health issued advice on Friday on when people have to wear a mask.
In the Greater Brisbane area (which includes Ipswich), for the period of the lockdown, face masks must be worn at all times when you are outside of your home including in the following settings:
- shopping (retail, supermarkets and shopping centres)
- on public/shared transport and waiting areas for public/shared transport
- weddings and funerals
- while waiting for takeaway food
- at workplaces.
Children 12 years and under and people affected by a medical condition are exempt. You do not have to wear a mask at home.
You may temporarily remove your mask for eating and drinking and when necessary for your employment, for example, an early childhood educator may remove their mask when communicating with children in their care.
Also read:
