Libraries, playgrounds reopen as restrictions dialled back

ACCESS to some City of Ballarat facilities and services is shifting for the better, with changes to COVID-19 restrictions.

Ballarat and Wendouree libraries are now open from Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm, with 20 people permitted in each separate space at once, alongside staff keeping each centre operational.

Social distancing measures are enforced, with one person allowed in a four-square metre area. Anyone who is at a library for more than 15 minutes will have their name recorded, can stay for less than an hour, and good hygiene is to be practiced.

Self-checkout and click-and-collect options are encouraged. Some programs and services are on hold until further notice.

Sebastopol Library is closed, being utilised as a maternal and child health centre, while the Lucas Community Hub is a UFS COVID-19 testing facility. Appointments can be made for testing on 4311 1571.

The same social distancing rules apply at Parent Place, open from 10am to 12pm for parents to feed and change their children, and source information.

Staff members will respond to the doorbell, and record names of visitors within the space for more than 15 minutes.

Playgrounds, outdoor gyms, skateparks and off-leash dog parks are open, but should not be hosting more than 20 people at once. The 1.5 metre social distancing rule continues to apply.

Non-contact and non-competitive outdoor sports training can proceed on council land with up to 20 people, as well as facilitators or coaches.

Clubs can book sports grounds as they normally would through the City of Ballarat’s online system. Toilets are accessible but change rooms are closed, so athletes should arrive prepared.

Soccer goals and Aussie rules goal posts are being reinstalled.

Unchanged services include Meals on Wheels, in-home support, curb side home waste and recycling collection, glass receival points, parks and gardens, infrastructure and maintenance teams’ rapid response, street cleaning and sanitation, emergency management, building and planning by appointment, and the customer call centre, open five days on 5320 5500.

Modified services include the Information Centre and Town Hall on 1800 446 633, the Ballarat Animal Shelter on 5334 2075, the transfer station off Gillies Street, which is only accepting vouchers from residents and payments by card, and the Ballarat Regional Soccer Facility, with no cash sales.

Facilitating mainly phone or online consultations, maternal child health and immunisation services are running, and nurses will contact clients at scheduled appointment times. Contact 5320 5500 to make a time.

Childcare hubs including Wendouree Children’s Centre, Girrabanya Children’s Centre and Family Day Care are open and operational, accessible to children up to school-aged. Small group family day care in a home space is available for children under 12. Email [email protected] for further information.

Still closed until further notice, are Her Majesty’s Theatre, the Civic Hall, the Art Gallery of Ballarat, the Mining Exchange, the Eureka Centre and the adjacent Eureka Aquatic Facility, and the Robert Clark Horticultural Centre and Conservatory at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens.

Further changes may be made often, so keep an eye on ballarat.vic.gov.au/changes-city-ballarat-facilities.