Benalla Rural City Council is heading a community committee to enact a well-planned pandemic response model.
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With many of us caught like rabbits in the headlights by the swiftness of the pandemic, and the way it has affected our lives, government bodies across the world have been putting measures in place.
And while that response has differed between countries, Australia has fared relatively well by comparison.
With all three levels of government in Australia working on the the issue, Local Government is playing its role in supporting people on a local level.
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As part of that support key Benalla Rural City agencies are working together in a collaborative approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring all members of the community are considered.
The Benalla Rural City Pandemic Committee includes:
● Representation from the Benalla Rural City Council;
● Victoria Police;
● Ambulance Victoria;
● Department of Health & Human Services;
● Benalla Health, Carrier Street Clinic, Church Street Surgery and Coster Street Medical Practice;
● Cooinda Village, Estia Health and Royal Freemasons;
● Benalla Business Network; and
● The Benalla community.
Committee chair Scott Upston said the work of the committee was specifically focused on the local community.
“To provide confidence to the community we are working hard to share information and lessons learnt in a collaborative approach so that we are in the best shape possible on the other side of this,” Cr Upston said.
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“The committee is ensuring all agencies are clear about each other’s roles and responsibilities, and that we share knowledge where we can mindful of the requirement to adhere to the Australian and Victorian Governments’ guidelines.
“It's a collaborative approach for sharing information as well as lessons learned and adopting best practices.
“Behind the scenes there's a lot of people working really, really hard to ensure the community is postured as best as possible to deal with the pandemic.
“There's a lot of conversations around the table about ‘what if’ scenarios to ensure we are ahead, if and when there is a requirement to escalate.
“And touch wood we won't have to, but we want to be ahead of the game just in case.
“So instead of asking what do we do now, if we have a spike for example, we already know what we would do in that situation.”
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Committee member and Mayor Danny Claridge said one of the jobs council had taken over during the pandemic was delivering meals on wheels.
“It is Benalla Rural City Council staff who are delivering the meals now, with the usual volunteers taking a step back due to social-distancing guidelines,” Cr Claridge said.
“That gives our staff a chance to check on our more vulnerable residents and see if they need anything like a roll of toilet paper, for example.“We want the community to know council is still operating behind the scenes.
“We're still collecting the rubbish.
“The Library is open online for people who want to order books and pick them up.
“The gallery is running online exhibitions and you can still register cats and dogs by phone or email.”
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Cr Upston said the committee was covering a diverse range of matters, some of which were ensuring adequate supplies of protective equipment and a cross-sector approach to where potential workers may come from to fill newly created COVID-19 response jobs.
“Our best defence against this pandemic is to listen to the experts and to work together, which is exactly what we are doing,” Cr Upston said.
“The rural city has a low number of confirmed cases and if we continue doing what we are doing this will not change.
“We ask everyone to continue to stay at home whenever possible and to remember good hygiene and social distancing.
“This is the best protection for the entire community and we thank everyone who is practicing this now.”