Town library, pool close; non-essential Council events cancelled

5
2081

In line with public health advice, the Alice Spring Public Library will close from tomorrow, Tuesday 24 March, until further notice.

 

The pool – Alice Springs Aquatic & Leisure Centre – closed today noon, Monday 23 March.

 
“The safety of our community is Council’s number one priority. As such, Council has implemented a range of measures based on the advice of the Australian Government, the Northern Territory Department of Health, and the Northern Territory Chief Minister in regard to a community response to COVID-19,” said Alice Springs Town Council CEO Robert Jennings.
 

At this stage, non-essential Council events for March, April and May 2020 have been cancelled.

 

This includes: Twilight in the Mall, Multicultural Fitness month, Dancing with Dementia, YAG Recycled Art launch (exhibition logistics TBA), Library Book Sale, Anzac Day Dawn Service, 12hour Swim, April Night Markets, Big Day Out in Harmony, Pets On Parade, National Simultaneous Storytime, and the Saturday morning Heart Walk. Council is evaluating its other upcoming events and will advise the community in due course.

 

Council is also looking at how to best manage and conduct its meetings over the coming months, including the use of teleconferencing facilities.

 

The NT Government’s Emergency Operation Centre has been set up in Alice Springs to monitor and manage COVID-19 across the Barkly and Southern regions. Council is represented on this group and continues to work with all key stakeholders to conduct and coordinate responses to ensure the health of all Territorians.

 
 Source: Town Council media release.
 
 
 

5 COMMENTS

  1. So we will conduct and coordinate responses.
    The virus arrives, infections balloon and we react.
    Deaths start to mount and the virus gets into Aboriginal communities. We react.
    The Corrections Centre becomes a virus hotspot and we try to do something about that.
    The hospital is overwhelmed and we realise the situation is out of control.
    The death toll mounts.
    The lesson from Italy (5,476 deaths so far) is that responses to the spread of the virus don’t work.
    China showed that extreme measures, total lockdown, sealed off zones where no-one can leave and a public sanitation program do work.
    China did not simply wait for the virus and respond to it.
    They were highly proactive.
    So here we are with the virus on our doorstep.
    Aboriginal people are still moving between their communities and town.
    There are crowds at the hospital.
    Yirara College with its remote Aboriginal students is operating as if nothing has changed.
    The Bush Bus is still running.
    We await the responses to the inevitable.

  2. I agree Peter, when are our leaders going to be strict in making sure that “all Australians”obey The Premier of the country?? Stay home unless you have a very good reason to go somewhere. I am reading the comment of the markets president and coordinator:”at this stage we are at the lower end of the risk, so the Sunday Markets in the mall will be on.” Instead to do whatever we can to stay at the lower end of the risk, it seems that we do our best to go higher on the scale. All we need is an infected person to walk up and down in the Mall to succeed.

  3. @Evelyne Roullet. According to the events calendar on the Council website, the Todd Mall markets have been SUSPENDED until further notice.

  4. Boarding students are wandering around the community. Have they been tested?
    Certainly not in isolation traffic to Alice and back.
    All waiting for the first case then the blame game will start.

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