This includes enacting council's business continuity plan, a range of necessary closures to community spaces and implementing safety-focused practices at key facilities.

In order to prepare for the weeks and months ahead, and to enable the most efficient and safe delivery of essential services, council last week enacted their business continuity plan.

By declaring a Business Continuity Event, Kempsey Shire Council conveys responsibility and authority for implementing the whole of organisation response on General Manager, Craig Milburn.

"We are working through scenarios to ensure key services like water and sewer, customer service and major operations are able to function in a variety of circumstances, the community is supported and staff are kept safe during the rapidly evolving situation," Mr Milburn said.

"While the responsibilities under a Business Continuity framework don't largely differ from the standard role as General Manager, the move to put well considered plans for business disruption in place, is at this stage a reflection on how seriously we are taking the pandemic."

Council has now taken steps to minimise the exposure to risk for our staff, volunteers and community.

The key actions that are now in place until further notice are:

These measures have been taken in consultation with the Kempsey Shire councillors who are receiving regular updates. "

Our Business Continuity Plan has been developed over many years to prepare for this sort of event and provides a blueprint for us to ensure we are continuing to serve our community in this extraordinary period, come what may," Kempsey Shire Mayor, Liz Campbell said.

Council will use the business continuity process to assess all operations on an ongoing basis to ensure the provision of essential services.

"We will continue to monitor services, interactions with the community and manage cleaning and hygiene according to the advice of the state and federal health experts," Mr Milburn said.

"We are seeking further health advice as we continue to evaluate the situation in regard to our pools, the Holiday Parks in our Shire and the access to public toilets."

Members of the public should monitor the information from NSW Health and the federal Department of Health for information about the virus.

Council will keep the community up to date with the situation regarding our facilities, events and closures through our website www.kempsey.nsw.gov.au and will issue regular updates through news and social media.

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