The Hills Shire Council has implemented a suite of measures to protect the health and safety of the community, following advice from NSW Health and in response to growing COVID-19 cases in Sydney.
Mayor of The Hills Shire, Dr Michelle Byrne said Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced on Saturday stay-at-home orders would be extended to Greater Sydney, Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Wollongong until Friday, July 9 in an effort to manage the spread of the disease.
These orders also apply to the Hills region.
"Following the latest Public Health Order, Council will be temporarily closing its libraries, venues, sporting fields, customer service centre at Norwest, The Pioneer Theatre and reducing face-to-face contact where possible in an effort to manage the spread of COVID-19," Mayor Byrne said.
"This stay-at-home period will give contact tracers the time to continue their life-saving work, as well as help to reduce transmission rates in the community.
"This is a crucial time, and I urge the community to follow the latest health advice – stay home, wear a mask [in non-residential settings], and continue to practice good hygiene and social distancing. If any cold or flu-like symptoms appear, please get tested immediately. Castle Hill and Rouse Hill drive through clinics have extended their hours to 10pm.
"Residents can be confident that Council will continue to maintain essential services such as bin collection, Meals on Wheels, child care, as well as customer service on the phone and online," Mayor Byrne added.
Facilities and services which will be temporarily closed until Friday, July 9 include:
- Customer Service Centre at Council's Norwest Administration Building at 3 Columbia Court, Norwest (contact us on 9843 0555 or lodge your request via Council's website, www.thehills.nsw.gov.au, via the "Report it to Council" webpage);
- Council events, such as Citizenship Ceremonies;
- Community sporting activities in reserves;
- All community centres and venues, including the Pioneer Theatre; and
- All libraries, including Baulkham Hills, Castle Hill, Dural and Vinegar Hill Memorial Library at Rouse Hill Town Centre (library members are encouraged to use The Hills Shire Library App which can be downloaded for FREE from the App Store or Google Play).
During the stay-at-home period, Council will continue to:
- Maintain necessary and essential services, such as Meals on Wheels, waste collection and child care services, to residents and businesses;
- Provide up-to-date information about any changes to services and/or operations at Council-owned facilities; and
- Support government, government departments, emergency services and agencies to help manage the impact of COVID-19.
Child care services will continue throughout this time, however, parents must wear a mask when dropping their child/children off and picking them up.
Limited aged care services will also continue such as patient transport, with social day programs suspended during the stay-at-home period.
"I want to thank residents and business owners for their cooperation and understanding. These are tough times, but I know we will get through this period," Mayor Byrne added.
For more information on Council services, please visit The Hills Shire Council website, www.thehills.nsw.gov.au.
For updates on the latest restrictions and for COVID-19 health advice, visit NSW Health, www.health.nsw.gov.au.
