30 March 2020
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO THE CHERBOURG COMMUNTIY
Travel restrictions for our Cherbourg community from Midnight Monday 30 March
Because of the dangers of the Coronavirus Pandemic, Queensland Health and the Local Disaster Management Group, including Council, have been working together over the last few days preparing for travel restrictions for Cherbourg.
Restricted movement will start in Cherbourg from midnight tonight 30 March 2020.
Why are we doing this?
Please understand this is not to keep people in – it’s to keep the virus out.
It is for the safety of our Cherbourg community, especially our older and more vulnerable community members, including elders and babies.
The restrictions also meet the requirements of The Australian Government’s travel restrictions to Queensland’s remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, including Cherbourg, that came into place from Thursday 26 March 2020.
Cherbourg needed more time to prepare, so we delayed these restrictions till today so that we could get this right to make it work for Cherbourg, including being able to have extra supplies available, such as food and medications.
How will we do this?
The checkpoint established at Cherbourg Murgon Road will be manned 24 hours a day. QLD Health and Council will be at the checkpoint with Queensland Health staff to provide screening.
Only essential service people will be able to enter Cherbourg so that they can keep delivering important services such as healthcare, energy, police, teachers and emergency services. We are making sure that all the necessary medical services and supplies for Cherbourg will be maintained.
If you leave the community, you will not be allowed in unless you have an exemption from the Human Biosecurity Officer, or have self-isolated for 14 days. So please stay safe by staying at home.
What will happen with food and every day supplies?
Because our community cannot leave Cherbourg, there will be extra supplies brought in to Cherbourg. These will be available for sale at normal Murgon prices at Lenas store, as well as a temporary store set up by Murgon Fruit Mart, next to Lena. Together they will provide the necessary groceries including meat, eggs, milk, cigarettes, baby food etcetera. There is no need for you to buy extra stock of groceries. There will be an update tomorrow on the hours they will be operating.
Medicines will be ordered through the Murgon Pharmacy as normal and if needed an account can be set up. The medicines will then be delivered to the Cherbourg Hospital. The actual point for community to pick up medicines will be advised over the next day or so.
Access to mail and essential services will be maintained.
Information updates
Make sure that you only listen to information from the 94.1FM radio station and the QLD Health website, as well as Councils website and Facebook page. These are the only true sources of information and other social media you see may be incorrect.
We will get daily reports to you through 94.1FM and Councils website and Facebook, so that you know what is happening.
The Local Disaster Management Group including Council, is working together to make sure we meet the needs of the community. Some things may change over time as we learn and uncover new issues, so please be patient and flexible. This is a new thing for all of us.
Let’s make Cherbourg the safest community it can be. Cherbourg can be an example of how we can all work together in times of need.
Chatur Zala
Chief Executive Officer