Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Updates for Hawkesbury Residents

Hawkesbury City Council understands that from time to time members of our community may experience financial difficulties and may require assistance in making payments.

Council is also committed to developing consistent, fair and effective policies and processes in regard to the management of debts owed to Council.

At its meeting on 28 April 2020, Council resolved to place a Draft Hardship, Pensioner Concession and Debt Recovery Policy on public exhibition for a period of 28 days and seek submissions from interested parties.

The policy is on public exhibition until Tuesday, 7 July 2020 and may be viewed via this link www.yourhawkesbury-yoursay.com.au/hardship-policy

Our Customer Service Centre will reopen to the public from Thursday, 4 June 2020 with some restrictions in place for your safety and the safety of our staff.

👉Opening hours will be from 9am to 4pm
👉A hand sanitiser stand is in place at the entry to reception
👉Keep 1.5m distance from our staff and other members of the public
👉Our counter now has protective screens in place
👉Cashless payments are the preferred method of payment
👉The Duty Officer will not be available at the counter but you are able to contact Council for planning advice at www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au/council/contact-us
👉Please DO NOT attend this facility if you are unwell

We continue to have online options if your preference is to do business this way.

👉Online Report or Request it form www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au/report-and-request-forms
👉Call our Customer Service Centre on 4560 4444
👉Email Council at council@hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au
👉Visit our website www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au

As of Monday, 1 June the Hawkesbury Central Library will be opening to offer a Click and Collect Service to all library members with reduced operating hours, Monday to Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday 9am-1pm and Sunday 2-5pm.

The Click and collect will enable library members to borrow items from the library while complying with current health and safety directives. The Click and collect service will allow library members to pre-order items and pick them up by appointment only. Library members can reserve items online or over the phone on 4560 4460 during library opening hours. The library will contact the member to arrange a suitable time to collect.

As Richmond Branch Library is a physically smaller Library than Hawkesbury Central Library, Council is currently ensuring controls such as physical distancing are fully in place before it is reopened. Hawkesbury Library Service will continue to operate within current COVID-19 safety guidelines for physical distancing and gatherings for the safety of staff and community members. Your cooperation in observing these guidelines is required and appreciated.

We will continue to update our community on any operational changes to our facilities via our Facebook page and COVID-19 website page https://www.yourhawkesbury-yoursay.com.au/Covid19

We’re pleased to announce that as of Wednesday 27 May the facility will be open 7 days a week 8am-4pm (excluding Public Holidays).

Delays maybe experienced as we maintain social distancing so please be patient with staff. To ensure the safety of our staff and the community, these strict guidelines will apply;

👉Social distancing, with a distance of 1.5 metres between yourself and others
👉Maintain good hygiene for your own safety and the safety of others
👉Wash your hands thoroughly or use hand sanitiser before you arrive and when you leave
👉Stay home if you are sick and don’t expose others to illness
👉You may be asked to wait so please be patient
👉Cashless payments are the preferred method of payment at the site
ℹ️Follow this link for further information on our Waste Management Facility https://www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au/environment/waste-management/waste-and-recycling/waste-management-facility

As of today, based on the NSW Government's guidelines the following Council facilities are reopening;

✅Playground equipment
✅Outdoor exercise equipment
✅Skate parks
✅BBQ facilities & seating
✅Parks

Our Parks Staff will be installing signage at these locations over the coming days, for now please observe the following;

👉 Outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people
👉 Please practice social distancing, with a distance of 1.5
metres between yourself and others
👉Wash your hands thoroughly or use hand sanitiser before and after use
👉Maintain good hygiene for your own safety and the safety of others
👉Stay home if you are sick and don’t expose others to illness
👉Please consider others in our community when using these spaces, limit your time so everyone can enjoy using the equipment
☎️Contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or nsw.crimestoppers.com.au to report a breach.
ℹ️Follow this link for further details https://bit.ly/3bw68cf

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the three step plan regarding easing of the COVID-19 restrictions on Friday, 8 May.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian is urging the community to remain vigilant despite the easing of NSW COVID-19 restrictions, with the first stage for NSW expected to be introduced on Friday, 15 May. While the NSW Government will start relaxing lockdown restrictions from Friday, the NSW Government does not plan to implement all step one measures agreed to by National Cabinet.

People will be allowed outdoors for recreation but are not yet permitted to holiday in NSW. Outdoor equipment and playgrounds will open with restrictions.

Hawkesbury City Council will continue to follow the guidelines of the Federal and State Government agencies and will post more updates as more information is made available.

Our Mayor encourages our community to download the COVIDSafe app which was launched by the Australian Government earlier this week. By downloading this app, you can help protect yourself, your family and friends and also the greater community from the spread of COVID-19.

Follow this link for more information on the app www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/covidsafe-app

Our Waste Management Facility is now open to Hawkesbury residents via an appointment system only, 7 days a week (except Public Holidays) from 8am to 3.30pm. Bookings will need to be made 24 hours in advance.

If you would like to book a drop off time online please follow this link https://bit.ly/2Vq6jkp or call our Customer Service Team on 4560 4444.

Council has developed a process and revised operating conditions to allow us to open up this site while valuing the safety of our staff and residents and adhering to the NSW Legislation on social distancing. We will continue to review this process and make amendments as required to improve the efficiency while keeping the site safe to public and our staff. Please adhere to the directions of staff on site for your own safety and the safety of others.

Fees will be applicable in accordance with Council’s Fees and Charges for the Waste Management Facility upon exiting the facility by card payments only, no cash will be accepted.

We would like to remind our residents that our kerbside collections are still operating as normal, they can be booked by calling 1300 889 527, further information can be found here https://www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au/environment/waste-management/waste-and-recycling/household-services/kerbside-collection?fbclid=IwAR3LWYay-Z9XlzDor6KAfhQa9wl7LXWwqHbmmMGA9kmE928VZYvw_m_MnKA

Since the temporary closure of our Waste Management Facility we have been working on a solution to reopen with a process that is safe for both our staff and the general public.

At this stage we planned to reopen this facility under an appointment only system to ensure that the current legislation on social distancing can be adhered too.

We are currently working on the process and booking system to allow the reopening and we will advise the community once we are in a position to take appointments. We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused but the safety of our staff and the general public needs to be our main priority during this crisis.