Burnside Council to only provide essential services from Wednesday
All non-essential services offered by Burnside Council will be shut down from Wednesday, including its library and swimming pools, as the council responds to the coronavirus crisis.
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Burnside Council will provide only essential services from tomorrow in response to the spread of coronavirus.
The council has announced it will limit gatherings to 60 people on council sites and close its customer service desk at its civic centre in Tusmore.
It will also close the George Bolton Swimming Centre and Tusmore Park wading pool, its Tusmore library, the Pepper Street Arts Centre and the Regal Theatre for an indefinite period.
All volunteer programs will also temporarily cease.
The council’s chief executive officer, Chris Cowley, said “strong action” was needed to protect the area’s high number of “elderly and vulnerable people”.
“We have a high population of vulnerable people living in our city that rely on council to help them in their everyday lives,” Mr Cowley said.
“So it is our responsibility to protect them and we can do this by taking a strong approach to reducing the potential for infection to spread through to residents from the services that we provide.”
The council is also asking the community to consider postponing private events.
He said the Commonwealth Home Support Program would continue to provide “essential wellbeing services” as residents faced “unprecedented circumstances”.
The council will also not impose late fines or interest on ratepayers’ final rates instalment for this financial year, due on June 1.
Elected members will continue to attend council meetings but the public will be excluded.
However, it will be “business as usual” for ranger services, the council depot’s field operations, its rapid response team and waste collection and management.
Residents can still contact civic centre customer service staff by phone or email.
Meanwhile, Tea Tree Gully has ramped up the cleaning of council facilities and is implementing “a range of additional hygiene measures”.
It will also suspend some programs and events until further notice.
Acting Mayor Damian Wyld said further details would be released through the council’s social media channels and website.
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Mr Wyld said the situation surrounding COVID-19 was “changing rapidly”.
“We are monitoring the progress of the virus and taking direction and working closely with the Australian and State Governments to reduce the impact on our community,” Mr Wyld said.
“In the event of decreased demand for other services, programs or events, or as the situation changes, cancellations may occur.
“Resources would then be redirected in line with community need.”
He said the council would look to deliver capital works programs “where possible”.
“It is important that we take a sensible, proactive approach to minimise the spread of the virus and practice good hygiene,” he said.