Friday 17 July 2020

A message from Mitchell Shire Mayor David Lowe and Interim CEO Mary Agostino

As a community we are committed to supporting the return of Stage 3 restrictions across our Shire. Safety is of paramount importance. We know that this is a difficult time in a personal sense for many individuals and we know our small and medium businesses are also facing very tough times.

To beat this pandemic, we must all work together. The number of active cases in our Shire has increased over the last week with the latest being 15. Unfortunately, we do not know where those cases are and we continue to ask authorities to give us an indication of locality.

However, what we know is that we are not immune to the spread of COVID-19, and we must remain vigilant and only leave for one of these four reasons:

1. shopping for food and essential items;
2. care and caregiving;
3. daily exercise (close to home);
4. work and study – if you can’t do it from home.

Council service updates

We've made the tough decision to close our doors for front-facing services at our Customer Service Centres from 5pm Friday afternoon. Don't worry though, we'll still be on hand for you to contact us on 5734 6200 or online at our website.

If you have an enquiry that you feel can only be done face-to-face, please give us a call to discuss your options.

We've got full details of COVID-19 service changes on our website, but the main changes are summarised below. 

• Customer service: Our doors are currently closed; however, our services are still available online and via 5734 6200
• Libraries: Closed. However, you can borrow online or take part in an online activity.
• Leisure centres: Closed. This includes pools, gyms and stadiums. No outdoor classes. Some online classes through Mitchell Shire Leisure Services Facebook page. 
• Kindergartens: Open for term 3 in line with government restrictions. 
• Immunisation: Open with precautions in place. Appointments required. Please call us on 5734 6200. to discuss further.
• Maternal and child health: We’ve moved back to telehealth appointments and short face-to-face centre appointments for babies aged 8 weeks and under.
  First-time parent groups, sleep and settling program and support playgroups online. Breastfeeding clinics by appointment. 
• School crossing supervisors: will continue in line with the school term. 
• Youth services: youth rooms closed. Online outreach and programming via Mitchell Youth Services Facebook page. 
• Outdoor spaces including playgrounds, skate parks, outdoor gym equipment and BBQs: Closed.
• Community centres, men's sheds, senior citizens centres and halls: Closed. 
• Sports: All community sport is postponed until further notice. Please contact your local leagues, clubs and associations for further direction.
• Resource Recovery Centres: open for residents. Photo ID with address required. Social distancing restrictions apply. Kerbside collections as normal.
• Seymour Visitor Information Centre: Closed. 

Visit our website for the detailed summary.

Getting tested

If you are showing any symptoms associated with COVID-19 testing is available in our shire. We would implore you that if you have a sniffle, runny nose or the slightest sore throat, please do the right thing and get yourself tested.

In our shire you can attend: 

GP Respiratory Clinic Wallan

7-11 High Street, Wallan. Appointments are required, please call 5783 0043 

Visit the website

The Kilmore and District Hospital 

1 Anderson Road, Kilmore 3764. Appointment required, please call 5734 2024 (open 7 days)

Visit the website

Seymour Health 

1 Bretonneux St, Seymour 3660. Appointments required, please call 0436 345 573 (open 7 days)

Visit the website

Local support services

A reminder that we can also link people up to local support providers including Beyond Housing, FamilyCare, Goulburn Options, Lower Hume Primary Care Partnership, Nexus Primary Health, Goulburn Options, Seymour Health, The Bridge Youth Service and The Kilmore and District Hospital.

For details on available services please visit the COVID partnership section on our website or call us on 5734 6200 

Advocacy

We continue to have regular discussions with our local politicians. They have the extremely hard task of keeping everyone safe as well as working towards recovery, especially for our economy. Decision-making during this time is very tough. Be assured we want the very best for our shire, but in a way that protects us all.

We continue to monitor our COVID cases and we are pushing to have our shire out of lockdown as soon as possible. We are also seeking support at a State and Federal level to assist the Shire in recovery. We will keep you informed of our approach to this and our success.

…and Mitchell Shire

We know these are tough times but we can have some fun thinking about what our new normal may look like. We are hoping to capitalise on our fame of … “and Mitchell Shire” which accompanies any announcement about the COVID lockdown in Victoria and importantly across Australia.

When you hear any updates on the local down, it goes Metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire. We really do get a special mention.

So we have been thinking; What would be the four reasons to come to Mitchell Shire post lockdown. It’s pretty simple for us:

• Great people
• Great lifestyle
• Great opportunities
• Great attractions

Hopefully sooner rather than later the lockdown will be lifted. So think about telling all your friends, relatives and anyone else who has been thinking “I know where Mitchell Shire is” to set a date to get here and see why our patch is so great.

We look forward to talking with you soon,

Cr David Lowe

Mayor, Mitchell Shire Council

Mary Agostino

Interim CEO, Mitchell Shire Council