COVID-19 Our Response
At this stage, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the North Burnett. A key message for our community is to protect yourselves and others from infection by practicing good hand and respiratory hygiene including:
- Cleaning hands with soap and water or alcohol-base hand rubs.
- Covering your nose and mouth with a tissue or flexed elbow when coughing or sneezing.
- Avoiding contact with anyone who has symptoms such as fever, a cough, sore throat, fatigue and shortness of breath
- Keep 1.5m away from anyone who is coughing and/or sneezing
- Staying home if you are unwell.
- If you have been overseas in the last 14 days or have been in direct contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 please call 13 HEALTH to receive appropriate advice.
If you are experiencing common symptoms of COVID-19 such as those mentioned above, please also call 13 HEALTH to seek professional medical advice. The recommendation is mostly likely going to be to self-isolate yourself for 14 days.
More information on what self-isolation means can be found here.
During this time of uncertainty it is important for our community to keep up to date with facts distributed about COVID-19 (coronavirus) by a reliable source. The lead agency for the COVID-19 pandemic is Queensland Health, you can access up to date information and resources by visiting Queensland Health’s dedicated COVID-19 webpage.
We also need to look out for our elderly friends, relatives and neighbours, who may not be keeping up to date via social media. Please give them a call or have a chat over the fence (remember social distancing is important) to see how they’re going or if they need any groceries or medications.
Council is doing our bit to assist in reducing the spread of the virus and have initiated the following:
Staff travel – all work related travel outside of the North Burnett Council area has ceased. Staff have been encouraged to limit
travel around the region and where possible conduct meetings via video or teleconference.
Overseas visitors and customers – signage is being placed on the front doors of our customer service centres and libraries to remind visitors to not enter the building if they have arrived from overseas within the last 14 days. This is an essential step to keeping our libraries and customer service centres open to our community.
If you are a small business impacted by the international outbreak of COVID-19, the State Government has set up a survey to better understand the impact of coronavirus on your business and assess what support you need. You can access the survey here.
The State Government has also advised that small businesses have access to Queensland assistance via QRIDA, for more information visit or alternatively get in touch with the friendly team at BIEDO.
Some important information to note as part of the Prime Ministers Update on Coronavirus Measures.
- Non-essential indoor gatherings of greater than 100 people (including staff) will no longer be permitted from, Wednesday 18 March 2020.
- Outdoor events of fewer than 500 attendees may proceed. There are general measures that all events should follow, please refer to the Prime Ministers Update on Coronavirus Measures for details.
- The way we commemorate Anzac Day this year will need to change. The National Cabinet has agreed that Anzac Day ceremonies and events should be cancelled due to the high proportion of older Australians who attend such events and the increased risk posed to such individuals.
- The National Security Committee of Cabinet has decided to raise the advice for all overseas travel to the highest level (4). Our advice to all Australians – regardless of your destination, age or health – is do not travel overseas at this time.
Council encourages residents and visitors to follow us on Facebook to keep up to date with the latest COVID-19 information.