The Victorian Government has announced a support payment available to eligible Victorian workers who have been instructed to self-isolate or quarantine at home if they are diagnosed with COVID-19 or are a close contact of a confirmed case.
An Incident Control Centre has been established in Castlemaine and Council is working with various government agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Castlemaine Health, emergency services and business networks to support the community at this time.
Last week DON Smallgoods confirmed its first active COVID-19 case at the local production facility in Castlemaine. The company took immediate action to implement their response plan in collaboration with DHHS.
“We know the company took swift action and cooperated with agencies to complete contact tracing, test their staff and deep clean the facility as quickly as possible,” said Mayor Henderson.
“We also know from our emergency response work over the past few months that DON KR Castlemaine was already taking the pandemic very seriously and had many procedures in place to reduce the risks.”
The facility will remain temporarily closed until DHHS confirms it is safe to reopen.
“I would like to commend all DON KR staff who followed instructions to get tested straight away, with many waiting patiently in queues for some time,” said Mayor Henderson.
“At this stage, we don’t know the extent of transmission but we do know that staff are now in quarantine for 14 days as a precautionary measure. We await more information from DHHS as test results become available over the next few days.
“In the meantime we understand people in our community might have many questions, be feeling worried or anxious, or need some extra support.”
“Please contact Council’s dedicated COVID-19 support line on 1800 512 446 or email covid19@mountalexander.vic.gov.au if you or anyone know needs help, local information or connections,” she said.
This may include things like advice on the latest restrictions, testing locations and protocols, how to gain access to food relief, financial assistance or mental health support, or where to find accommodation if you need to self-isolate.
Local residents, businesses and community groups can also find more information or make an online request at our virtual emergency relief centre at www.connectmountalexander.com.au.
For the latest state-wide information, general information on coronavirus and statistics visit www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus.