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COVID-19: Update from WALGA President and CEO
 
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
WALGA
30 November 2020

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Rescheduled: Webinar on Mandatory Contact Registers, Authorisation of EHOs for Compliance Checking and Review of COVID Event Risk
The Department of Health webinar to inform Local Governments of their role and compliance activities under new contact register requirements and amended events risk assessments has been rescheduled.

The webinar will now be held on Thursday, 3 December.
The Department of Health has stated the decision to delay the webinar is to to allow for the relevant Directions to first be released, as it is important the legal instrument be finalised to ensure accurate information is provided to Local Governments, particularly Environmental Health Officers.
 
From Saturday, 5 December it will be mandatory for prescribed businesses and venues, including Local Government facilities, to maintain a contact register, with a free app available for businesses and patrons for this purpose.  More information on the contact register process can be found here.
 
The webinar will provide Local Governments with more detailed information on the consideration of events as outlined in the separate item below, as well as new contact tracing requirements and the role of EHOs in this process.

Date:   Thursday, 3 December
Time:   1:00pm to 2:15pm (note: webinar via Microsoft Teams)

Please log on to Microsoft Teams five minutes prior to commencement by clicking here.
Local Government enquiries can be emailed to the Department of Health COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Operations Centre or call the COVID-19 Information Helpline on 13 COVID (13 26843).
 
COVID Event Risk Under Review
Local Governments should consider the implications of new WA Department of Health advice in assessing the COVID risk of upcoming events.
The Department has advised that the COVID event risk matrix used to assess the COVID risk of events is being reviewed, which may impact on unticketed events on public open space that are currently considered of medium COVID risk, particularly some larger Local Government and community events planned for Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Australia Day.

In particular, unticketed events with more than 8000 people are now likely to be considered high risk and will need to be reviewed by the Chief Health Officer (CHO).

Additionally, the CHO has reviewed the presence of stages and activities involving a focal point of interest at events. As a result, stages and/or associated activities that are likely to result in difficulty maintaining physical distancing and an inability to comply with an approved COVID Event Plan for the duration of an event, are unlikely to be supported but may be approved, where the risk activity is removed or reformatted. Stages will be permitted for live music events with less than 1,500 patrons, however the presence of a stage/focal point of interest should be reconsidered if physical distancing is unlikely to be achievable. 

Christmas carols, acoustic ensembles, ambient music and/or symphony/orchestral performances are considered unlikely to draw unmanageable crowds in front of stage where physical distancing cannot be maintained and are therefore generally considered acceptable.

Contact registers (use of QR codes and SafeWA app.) are not mandatory for events but are strongly recommended, to facilitate contact tracing.

An Environmental Health COVID-19 update for events can be viewed here.
Further information on this review will be provided at the rescheduled Department of Health webinar to be held on Thursday, 3 December – see item above.
WALGA
ONE70, LV1, 170 Railway Parade,
West Leederville, WA 6007
PO Box 1544, West Perth, WA 6872
Tel: (08) 9213 2000 | Fax: (08) 9213 2077
Email: info@walga.asn.au
www.walga.asn.au
© Copyright Western Australian Local Government Association 2014






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WALGA · ONE70, Level 1, Railway Parade · West Leederville, WA 6007 · Australia