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This article was published on Friday, 17 July, 2020. The information contained within may be out of date or inaccurate. News articles and media releases older than 60 days are archived for future reference.

Council reminds residents of importance of following COVID-19 health advice

Posted on Friday 17th of July, 2020,

Greater Shepparton City Council reminds residents of the importance of following physical distancing, hygiene and health advice as Victoria is faced with a spike in COVID-19 cases.

It is now as critical as ever to be diligent in maintaining 1.5m physical distancing, washing your hands, staying home if you are feeling unwell and getting tested if you show any symptoms.

Common symptoms of COVID-19 include a fever, dry cough, tiredness, aches and pains, sore throat, diarrhoea, conjunctivitis, headache, loss of taste or smell, a rash on skin, or discolouration of fingers or toes.

Serious symptoms can include difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, chest pain or pressure or loss of speech or movement.

The restrictions in place for regional Victoria at any time can be found on the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) website, and residents are reminded these need to be abided by.

Currently in Victoria you can welcome just five people into your home, not including your own household, and can gather as a group no larger than 10 people outside.

Last week the Victorian Premier announced that metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire would be re-entering Stage 3 restrictions for six weeks.

Council reminds residents that although Greater Shepparton has currently avoided Stage 3 restrictions, complacency could result in that no longer being the case.

Victorians outside of those areas in Stage 3 lockdowns are being urged to use common sense when it comes to visiting family and friends who are in those lockdown areas, especially those who are more vulnerable.

For now, that means making contact with them via phone, social media, FaceTime, Zoom and WhatsApp rather than entering COVID-19 hot spots to visit them.

The latest spike in cases in Victoria has seen the active cases reach 2128 as of today, while tragically 29 Victorians have died from COVID-19. Victoria is still under a State of Emergency until at least 11.59pm 19 July 2020.

“We sincerely thank our community for their hard work to date. Because of all of your efforts we haven’t had to be placed back into Stage 3 restrictions, but it’s important that we don’t become complacent, particularly with COVID being so contagious,” Mayor Cr Seema Abdullah said.

“The three active cases reported in Greater Shepparton in the past fortnight serve as a reminder to the community that this virus is not gone. It is still here with us, and will be for some time. We are asking our community; please do not put yourself or your community at risk.

“If the number of cases in Greater Shepparton increases, the community needs to be aware that it is possible we may will find ourselves back under Stage 3 restrictions.

“We need to live in a way where we assume we, or other people may be carrying the virus – we need to be diligent and cautious, as while the virus may not be fatal for you, it certainly can be for others.”

The latest COVID-19 advice for Victoria can be found here.

For translated information on COVID-19, please head here.