Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council is now reviewing and implementing a host of reopening guidelines and health advice documents to further ease restrictions on public spaces due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Council’s facilities which include Visitor Information Centres, libraries, museums and other tourist attractions must have a detailed plan put in place to adhere to public health orders that have been set down by the NSW State Government.
Visitors and customers to these facilities will be required to exercise strict social distancing and hygiene practices. Sign in provisions will also be a requirement along with limited numbers entering an area based on the available floor area within the facility. Restrictions on the use of some public toilet amenities within the facility may also be imposed.
As each facility across the region is unique in size and staffing resources separate guidelines and operating procedures are being formulated to adhere to the NSW Government’s public health orders.
The Cootamundra and Gundagai Visitor Information Centres will reopen on June 1, along with Cootamundra’s Bradman Birthplace and Heritage Centre.
Bradman’s Birthplace operating procedure will consist of 1 volunteer at a time. A maximum of five people at any one time, this will include two in the Memorabilia Cottage and two in the theatre. Arrows will be placed on the floor to indicate a loop of the facility, sign in sheets will be required to be filled in. The volunteers will be supplied with a checklist to for cleaning and new Perspex screens will be erected at the desk. A sanitiser station will be installed and extra disinfectant sprays will also be provided. The museum will operate on the normal opening hours.
The Cootamundra Heritage Centre and Visitor Information Centre will accommodate up to six people in the facility at one time- including staff members. Two people in the heritage centre. Two people in the visitor information section and four people in the front reception area. Individual rooms will be tapped off so people only walk up and down the hallway. Arrows will be placed on the floor indicate a loop of the facility. Sign in sheets, Perspex sneeze screens and sanitiser station will be installed.
The Gundagai Visitor information centre will be open 7 days a week with social distancing measures in place. Four people at a time will be permitted inside the centre. With two people maximum in Marble Masterpiece display area. The internal toilets will be closed to the public with people being advised to use public toilets behind the centre.
The Gundagai Gaol tours will be operating on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sundays only. Bookings will be required to visit the gaol between the hours of 10pm and 3pm on those days.
The volunteer team at the Gundagai Museum will be opening from the 1st of June and are looking forward to welcoming visitors.
Council’s Caravan Parks in Gundagai and Cootamundra will also re-open with strict social distancing and hygiene measures practiced.
Visitors are also welcome to the region’s RV camping sites, and are reminded to exercise public health orders in relation to hygiene, physical and social distancing methods.
Unfortunately the Gundagai Railway Station will be closed until further notice. The absence of a caretaker for this community facility necessitates the closure. Visitors will be able to have visit and look around the outside of the historic building.
CGRC general manager Mr Phil McMurray said the Council is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace for all our staff, volunteers and customers.
“To ensure that this happens at all Council facilities, we have developed COVID-19 Reopening Plans in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. All individuals including managers, volunteers, staff and customers are all responsible for implementing this plan. Our goal is to mitigate the potential for transmission of COVID-19 in our facilities, workplaces and communities, and that requires full cooperation among the individual categories. Only through this cooperative effort can we establish and maintain the safety and health of our workplaces,” Mr McMurray said.
CGRC mayor Cr Abb McAlister said Council is taking the directions from the NSW and Federal Government Health authorities.
“We are constantly being updated and are meeting regularly to discuss what we need to do reopen our facilities, within the public health orders that have been issued by both the Federal and State Government authorities,” Cr McAlister said.
“We want to keep our people working, and we have increased challenges, the extra cleaning of public facilities needs to be more rigorous and more often than in the past, our challenge is to meet public expectations and reassure our staff and residents that Council is doing all it can to conduct business as usual in these unusual times,” Cr McAlister added.
Residents are encouraged to keep up to date by checking the CGRC website regularly. www.cgrc.nsw.gov.au
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