Last Sunday 24 May, the Premier announced another wave of gradual easing of COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria.
As the restrictions ease, we look forward to seeing community, sports and arts activities and programs gradually start up again and some venues and businesses reopen their doors.
We are working closely with our local community groups, sports clubs, venue operators and at all of our facilities to ensure we can reopen in line with the advice and restrictions, and in a way that is safe for everyone.
We are already starting to see some of our facilities reopen.
Parks and playspaces
As of Tuesday 26 May, our parks, playspaces, outdoor fitness equipment, skate parks, BMX and athletics tracks are now open for everyone to enjoy.
The safety of our community is still our priority and we have a regular cleaning and sanitising schedule in place for equipment in our parks.
In line with the Government advice, is important that we not gather in groups of more than 10 people in these spaces, and to continue practising physical distancing by staying 1.5 metres apart and maintaining good hygiene at all times.
Our customer service counter
Our Civic Centre front counter in Doncaster will be open from Monday 1 June.
With physical distancing requirements still in place, I encourage you to contact us via phone, online or by making an appointment wherever possible but if you do need to come in, we’ll be here to assist you. Remember – we are also continuing to offer support via our dedicated phone support service, running seven days a week.
Other venues, facilities and cafes
We are looking at reopening our facilities and venues as the Victorian Government’s announcements are made.
We know everyone is eager to get back to venues like our Manningham Art Gallery, your local library, sports stadium or Aquarena as soon as possible, however we need to ensure that all of the proper precautions are in place before we do so.
We are planning thoroughly and taking all safety measures into account, and look forward to letting everyone know as soon as any of our facilities are ready to reopen.
We also anticipate that some of our local cafes and restaurants will begin to reopen to dine-in customers from 1 June, after the Victorian Government announced a plan to allow 20 patrons per enclosed space from then.
Cleansing and sanitising blitz
We are taking part in the state-wide cleansing blitz. You may see people out and about in parks and public spaces sanitising seats, handrails and other equipment. In some instances, these teams will also be helping to sanitise our newly reopened playground and fitness equipment.
This blitz is helping support jobs locally as part of the Victorian Government’s $500 million Working for Victoria initiative. The cleaning blitz complements the work that we are already doing to slow the spread of COVID-19. Read more about our efforts and how you can get involved.
Don’t forget, it’s important we all remain vigilant in following the health advice and recommendations from the Department of Health and Human Services.
As we see more and more changes and easing of these restrictions, I want to encourage everyone to continue to Be Kind to one another and help support your friends, neighbours and local community.
Stay safe and well.
Paul McLeish
MAYOR
