Council working on contingency plans to help community and business

“Council has made the decision to suspend our council face-to-face volunteering programs across all council venues and facilities, effective immediately. This decision has been made to support the health and wellbeing of the Ipswich community. We will be in contact as soon as those volunteer programs are re-initiated.”

Mr Greenwood said to ensure the safety of the community, council had decided to take a number of other significant measures to reduce the risk of spread of COVID-19, including:

–              Council has cancelled some council-produced events scheduled for March, April and May. The cancellation is part of council’s response to COVID-19 and in line with the Federal Government’s direction that all organised, non-essential outdoor gatherings of 500 people or more and non-essential indoor gatherings of 100 people or more be cancelled.

–              Council has also moved to decline event permit applications over 500 people to 31 May 2020. Permit fees will be refunded to impacted events. All event bookings for over 100 people in council facilities to 31 May 2020 will also be cancelled with deposits to be refunded and no cancellation fees charged.

–              Council has considered the health, safety and wellbeing of its volunteers and has suspended all face-to-face volunteering programs.

–              Council will close the Nature Centre and Environmental Education Centre, plus Maker spaces in all Ipswich libraries to mitigate risks to staff, volunteers and visitors.

Mr Greenwood said council was currently exploring contingency plans for a host of other council programs, locations and community events with the likelihood of further closures and cancellations soon.

The Kids Go Wild program had been cancelled, with the Queens Park free tree giveaway area closed from Saturday until further notice. All mobile nursery events have been cancelled until the end of June, while council was also reviewing the safety of keeping public pools and water play areas open during this period.

Council’s major infrastructure briefing scheduled for 29 April on the Brisbane Airport second runway, Brisbane Lions stadium development at Springfield and Ipswich Turf Club redevelopment had also been postponed.

“All these measures have been taken with public safety and wellbeing at the forefront of our decisions,” Mr Greenwood said.

“Council has established detailed plans and put processes in place to respond to pandemics or outbreaks, and to ensure we can continue to provide essential community services,” Mr Greenwood said.

“These plans are continuously reviewed and updated as further information about COVID-19 emerges. It is a rapidly evolving situation, but we are going above and beyond in the interests of our residents and to make sure their welfare is a priority.”

He said council has set up a specialised working group focusing on:

• Business continuity and how council continues to deliver essential services to the community;
• Keeping the community informed of updates;
• How to manage council-owned and managed events;
• Ways council can assist the community if COVID-19 escalates; and
• Safety and health of its 1200 employees.

“Our environmental health officers have altered some of their work processes to ensure their ability to respond and assist Queensland Health if necessary,” he said.

“Our infrastructure and environment team has taken steps to ensure the continued delivery of our essential waste services to the community.”

Mr Greenwood said one of the challenges that council faces with the spread of the virus in the community is to ensure that it continues to deliver services while protecting the health of its employees and residents.

“We will continue to provide you with information as this ever changing situation develops.”

Council is currently working on how it can assist businesses and the community to recover from the economic impacts of the virus.