Public Notice - Proof of Vaccination to Help Protect the Shire Against COVID-19
Published on Thursday, 17 February 2022 at 12:00:00 AM
The Premier and State Government have gone to great lengths over the last two years to:
- ensure community safety and wellbeing; and
- preserve the health system and local economy.
At a Special Council Meeting on 1st February 2022, adopted a number of resolutions designed to:
- protect staff and ensure service continuity;
- mitigate the spread of COVID infection; and
- protect the health and welfare of the community.
Council considered the current threat of Omicron as it spreads around the State and resolved to mandate proof of vaccination for:
- Elected Members, all Shire staff, volunteers, consultants, and contractors by 21st February 2022; and
- those who use or visit Shire services and facilities from 21st February 2022 (aged 16 years and over).
Facilities requiring proof of vaccination or medical exemption exclude outdoor facilities such as public toilets, parks and gardens, swimming pools, playgrounds, skate parks, outdoor basketball courts, sporting grounds and waste facility/transfer station.
The Shire of Coolgardie recognises that our community is particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 and the highly transmissible Omicron variant due to our remote location, our Indigenous and elderly populations, and our inexperience in ‘living with COVID’.
The Shire recognises the importance of putting safeguards in place for our community now as COVID continues to spread around WA, including into regional areas such as the South West and Goldfields.
The Shire also recognises that vaccinations alone are not the answer to fighting the spread of COVID. In addition to mandating vaccination at Council services/facilities, the Shire will consider implementing complementary protection measures including mask wearing, physical distancing and good hygiene. The CEO will develop a policy for the implementation and use of rapid antigen testing (RATs) for some staff to further reduce the risk of spread of infection, protect the health of the community and ensure continuity of services.
Council’s decision to introduce vaccination mandates has come from information and consultation with:
- other regional, rural and remote Councils;
- Department of Health; and
- Western Australia Local Government Association (WALGA).
The vaccine mandates come into effect on Monday 21st February, enabling community members to get vaccinated with their second dose and the Shire to organise its staffing and resources to implement the vaccine mandates.
While users/visitors to Council services and facilities will need to be vaccinated from Monday 21st February, the Shire will work with unvaccinated community members to explore remote access to services.
Council has also noted that as of 19th December 2021, the Shire of Coolgardie had not reached the State Government’s preferred threshold of an 80-90% vaccination rate[1]. While we are close to this goal as a community, with 81.7% having received their first dose and 75.3% received their second dose[2] (at 16th January), it is important that the Shire continues to support community members in getting vaccinated where possible, to protect the health and safety of our residents.
Vaccinations are currently available at the Coolgardie Medical Centre on Thursdays, phone 9025 0200 and the Kambalda Medical Centre on Wednesdays, phone 9027 8200. Community members are strongly encouraged to book an appointment, although some walk-ins are accepted.
As the State Government instructions related to COVID-19 are frequently changing, we strongly encourage our customers to monitor the www.wa.gov.au website for the latest information.
The Shire of Coolgardie would like to thank community members who have been practising COVIDsafe behaviours such as checking into venues using the Service WA app, sanitising their hands on entry, and practising social distancing.
For further information regarding the Shire of Coolgardie’s COVID-19 safety policy, visit www.coolgardie.wa.gov.au or contact the Shire on 9080 2111.
James Trail
Chief Executive Officer
[1] https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2021/12/covid-19-vaccination-local-government-area-lga-20-december-2021.pdf
[2] https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2022/01/covid-19-vaccination-local-government-area-lga-17-january-2022.pdf