The council is closing its sporting fields and parks to competitions and training and suspending use of community facilities until the end of April, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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More events, including the booked out Bookfest at the library, school holiday programs at the library, art gallery and youth centre, the Aussie Night Markets on Friday and Tallong's Centennial Hall celebrations, have also been cancelled.
On Tuesday, the Goulburn Mulwaree Rotary Club's popular swap meet on April 5 at the Recreation Area, joined the list.
As of Tuesday, there were no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Southern NSW Local Health District, according to NSW Health. But authorities aren't taking chances.
The call on events, services and operations emerged in a wide-ranging council decision at Tuesday night's meeting.
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General manager Warwick Bennett said the council had to take a strong leadership role and do everything it could to prevent the virus's spread. He told councillors that staff had been "working frantically."
"We have a very strong responsibility to protect the community, to encourage them to be clean and look after our most vulnerable...to ensure we don't get a repeat of what's happened in Europe," he said.
Councillors decided to:
- Require schools, sports clubs and any other organisation using council owned/managed sports fields to cease all events, training and competition until April 30,2020. This applies to Carr Confoy and Eastgrove sporting fields, North Park, Seiffert and Prell Ovals, Cookbundoon sporting fileds and Goodhew Park;
- Require all community/social/cultural organisations that use council facilities, including Bourke Street and Auburn Street community centres to suspend all meetings and gatherings there to the same date.;
- Encourage all schools, sports and social clubs and any other organisation on non-Council facilities in the region to suspend their activities until April 30;
- Close the Veolia Arena and Basketball Stadium for all events until the end of April;
- Cease all programs at the Goulburn Aquatic Centre including Learn to Swim and Aqua Aerobics, and close the gymnasium;
- Cancel the Rocky Hill War Memorial Museum opening; Bookfest (March 26-28); school holiday programs at the library, art gallery and youth services; Aussie Night Markets; Goulburn Art Award and an Anzac Day function at Tallong celebrating the halls' centenary and to thank the 'firies.'
- Cancel all committee and working party meetings until the end of April;
- Cease all programs at the Community Centre;
- Stop programmed events at the museums and Art Gallery. These will remain open for daily visits with signage and precaution measures;
- To postpone its free disposal weekend on May 2 and 3 at the waste management centre until September 19 and 20;
- To install signage at all public toilets' playgrounds, dog parks and other community facilities to remind people about good hygiene practices.
Mr Bennett will also provide updates at council meetings and briefing sessions on actions to address community concerns about coronavirus.
In addition, staff will also report back on how essential services like water, sewer and wastewater will be operated if the virus impacts the workforce.
The disruption will have less impact on the Goulburn Library, which will close from April 6 to 27 for renovations. The Big Read Mobile Bus will operate from the Civic Centre's Caroline Chisholm during this time, from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday.
But its Bookfest, featuring events and talks by renowned authors Peter FitzSimons, Markus Zusak, Jane Caro and Jack Heath, has been cancelled. A report stated that events had been fully booked within three days of going public.
Tuesday's decisions come as many local sporting organisations, including rugby union, rugby league and hockey suspend training and games, in line with their codes' state directives. Schools have also largely abandoned assemblies and taken precautions on sporting and other gatherings.
Cr Andrew Banfield questioned how management arrived at the April 30 date. Mr Bennett replied it coincided with the end of school holidays.
"But I would be surprised if that date wasn't extended considerably," he said.
"This is an hour by hour issue. I'm receiving about 50 emails a day about coronavirus. The April date is a start."
Cr Banfield asked why the free waste disposal wasn't proceeding, given it was in May. Utilities director Marina Hollands said staff protection was uppermost as loading and unloading materials involved close contact with people. Management believed September was a safer option and was more practical than the cold winter months.
Internally, signage advising people to keep a safe distance has been installed and other measures aimed at preventing coronavirus spread have been implemented.
In response to a question from Cr Alf Walker, Mr Bennett said library staff were also wiping down computers used by the public. Cr Walker also wanted the distances between them increased.
But Cr Andrew Banfield argued the community had to take some personal responsibility.
"Where does it stop? If I have a virus, use a computer screen, then go and touch books, touch this, touch that, what's the difference?" he asked.
"We can't follow everyone around and wipe after them. I think we're taking this a little bit too far. Are we going to wipe the toilet seat after someone uses it? I think we're being a tiny bit alarmist."
He maintained the council still had to provide services and some of the measures were "adding to the hysteria.
But Mr Bennett said the council had a clear responsibility to prevent spread as much as possible.
"If we have to distribute a few (hygiene) wipes, then I don't think that's a big ask of the organisation," he said.
Deputy Mayor Peter Walker pointed out that other countries had taken harder measures, closing pubs and restaurants.
"That's not here yet but it is coming," he said.
"...We can pick and choose everything in life. There are a multitude of things (to consider) but this is a start. It will be ongoing."
Councillors will continue to attend briefing sessions and meetings but the community is encouraged to watch the latter via webcast.
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Louise Thrower
If you have a story to tell, drop me a line at louise.thrower@austcommunitymedia.com.au or call 0418 229 678.
If you have a story to tell, drop me a line at louise.thrower@austcommunitymedia.com.au or call 0418 229 678.
