Easing of COVID-19 restrictions in the Federation Council region

Published on 11 May 2020

Federation Council Mayor Pat Bourke said Council welcomes the announcement by National Cabinet on Friday that the Federal and State Governments are beginning to ease restrictions related to COVID-19, with a three stage plan.

“Council will continue to adhere to the advice of the Federal and State governments and assess what that means for the future delivery of Council services,” he said.

“Council has managed to maintain a consistent level of service to residents and businesses during this period where possible and that is a credit to our staff and the community for their understanding. While Council welcomes the easing of restrictions and has been preparing for a gradual restoration of traditional delivery, there is still a great deal of work that needs to be done to ensure that services and facilities can be reopened in a safe and sustainable way. A way that is safe for our community, and of course our staff and volunteers who deliver the services.”

Mayor Bourke said while restrictions are easing, the relaxation of these measures comes with more stringent cleaning processes and guidelines for social distancing.

“We will be steadily working through the gradual return of services and will reopen Council facilities when and in a way that is safe to do so,” he said.

“We are committed to keeping our community informed of any changes and there will be more announcements likely as we move through the coming week. Our residents will be kept up to date with the timeline of service delivery changes to be communicated via our website and our corporate Facebook page as these decisions are made.”

Mayor Bourke said Council also welcomed the easing in restrictions in respect to the local business community, who from Friday this week will be able to implement components of stage one of the Federatl Governments road map to recovery. 

“It is hoped that the easing of some restrictions will have a positive impact for businesses in the Federation region whose operations have been impacted heavily by COVID-19,” he said.

“Council will continue to engage with local businesses to understand the various impacts and provide that information to the State and Federal governments to assist in future stimulus planning and support work underway. I would like to take this opportunity to formally highlight the tenacity and innovative nature in which our businesses have operated in and will continue to operate during the COVID-19 health pandemic.”

Mayor Bourke said many businesses in the Federation region have diversified their service delivery where possible, both proactively and positively and this is something Council encourages businesses to continue with as we move through the various stages of the roadmap to recovery.

“We’ve come so far, and although we have a while to go before we get to the other side of this, we should all be proud of the way in which we have supported one another as a community, and supported local businesses,” he said.

Visit the NSW Government website for further information.