COVID19 Preparedness, Response and Recovery Package for Local Businesses
COVID19 Preparedness, Response and Recovery Package for Local Business
The information contained in this package has been compiled by Eumundi Chamber, in collaboration with affiliates and industry partners to support local businesses to reopen and recover when identified by Queensland Health as a Covid19 exposure venue.
To read each item click on heading to expand content.
Links are current as at 15th July 2021, with a *NEW notation made for each item as new links are added
Please email us if you discover a deactivated link or if the page is no longer current.
Here’s some quick links to COVID19 Information, Resources and Links to Business Support current as at 11 August 2021 to bookmark for easy reference.
NEW: Small Business Disaster Hub - BUSINESS QUEENSLAND: Prevent, prepare, respond, recover, and communicate to get back to business sooner when disaster hits. (*Added Tuesday 2 August 2021)
NEW: Support for lockdown affected businesses - 2021 COVID19 Business Support Grants by Queensland Government released TUESDAY 2 AUGUST 2021. (*Added Tuesday 2 August 2021)
NEW: Australian Government COVID19 Disaster Payment - announced Monday 1 August 2021. This payment is now available for Queensland workers impacted by lockdowns through Services Australia. (*Added Tuesday 2 August 2021)
NEW: Tourism and Hospitality Sector COVID19 Lockdown Support Package - announced Tuesday 10 August 2021, providing expansion of the 2021 COVID19 Business Support Grants to include large tourism and hospitality businesses statewide. Package also includes Payroll tax deferral, waiver of liquor licensing fees for 2021-22, and a 12 month fee waiver or refund of inbound tour operators fees. (*Added Wednesday 11 August 2021).
NEW: Queensland COVID19 Cleaning Rebate for small and medium businesses and NFP's listed as an exposure site by Queensland Health. (*Added Wednesday 11 August 2021)
****************************************
Queensland Government updates: direct link to current status, contact tracing alerts and exposure sites, hotspots, restricted LGA’s, interstate areas of concern, wastewater surveillance and Queensland’s Covid19 statistics.
Information for specific industries and businesses: access to resources, QLD Check in app, Covid Safe Plans and checklists, plus assistance for businesses available via Business Queensland.
Locate your nearest testing and fever clinic.
Locate financial support for individuals, as well as helplines, support and financial assistance along with other types of relief for businesses in times of forced closure, and/or periods of lockdown.
Business Queensland Coronavirus business support and COVID19 recovery.
Access to Queensland Small Business Financial Counselling Service for assistance when experiencing hardship during periods of closure and/or lockdown.
Learn more about Business Continuity Planning and to find out what you need to get your business running again after an incident or crisis that impacts on your ability to trade. *NEW (added 17 July 2021)
Access information about Pandemic Risk Management and coronavirus (COVID-19) business recovery to help you reopen and grow your business as restrictions ease. *NEW (added 17 July 2021)
When impacted by COVID19 and in need of financial assistance or other types of relief from the Queensland and Australian governments, plus Queensland local councils you can search the COVID19 Business Assistance Finder.
Find out more about the Queensland Services Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment through Services Australia.
Locate available grants and financial assistance search results on business.gov.au for 'Coronavirus - State and territory information' as at 6 July 2021.
The ‘Coronavirus Business Liaison Unit’ on the Australian Government website is a good resource proving up to date information on the Government’s response to COVID-19 and the actions that Government is taking to support business and industry across Australia. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
CLICK HERE to find out how to negotiate commercial rent relief and other lease arrangements with your tenant or landlord if experiencing hardship during COVID19, as well as advocacy support for small businesses accessible through the Queensland Small Business Commissioner (QSBC).
Nambour TAFE may also be of assistance in filling short-term positions, and/or meeting skills shortages for your business during recovery. Contact Nambour Campus via the Queensland TAFE website VIA THIS LINK.
Eumundi Chamber of Commerce members can also advertise vacancies on https://www.eumundichamber.com.au via Job Postings, and in the monthly newsletter. Contact Chamber to learn how.
And if you need more guidance or can’t find the right assistance, you can phone the Small Business Hotline on 1300 654 687, or reach out to your local Chamber of Commerce or Industry Group/Association for support.
We appreciate the rapid assistance of CCIQ in assisting Eumundi Chamber of Commerce to source the relevant Queensland Health resources to help a business avoid frustration when identified as an exposure venue and assist them to reopen as quickly as possible.
1. What happens when potential risk of infection from a positive case is identified in the community?
- When a person in Queensland is diagnosed with COVID-19, the Public Health Unit (PHU) for the area they live is notified.
- Through contact tracing, people who have and/or may have been in contact with and infected by the person confirmed to have COVID19 are contacted directly by Queensland Health and given instructions about what they need to do.
- When it’s not possible to contact people one-on-one, Queensland Health, instead put out a public health alert with the details of the person’s movements, so the public can assist with contacting those who might have come into contact with the person with the infection.
- When a business has been identified by Queensland Health as a site visited by a person with a confirmed case of COVID, they label the business as a confirmed “Exposure Site”, whereby they then publish the information across all their digital media sources.
- Unfortunately, due to the nature and speed of which the information needs to be circulated, the identified business may learn that they are an exposure venue via social media or the news instead of a direct call from Queensland Health.
- The local Public Health Unit (PHU) will make contact as soon as possible after identifying the business is a site of potential COVID-19 transmission. The PHU will gather further information from you and advise if there is a specific action that needs to be taken.
- On the occasion that a person/business is not communicated with and they are unable to speak to directly to the Queensland Health Public Health Unit, they should contact the Sunshine Coast Public Health Unit on 1300 017 190, who will advise next steps.
- CLICK THIS LINK to learn more about contact tracing, and notifying people at risk.
2. What should you do if your business is identified as an exposure venue?
As advised by Queensland Health, here are the steps you need to take.
- Once identified, call the following number 13 43 25 84 as referred to by this LINK.
- Acknowledge your business has been identified as an exposure site, and that necessary steps are being taken.
- Staff must be tested and not return to work until confirmed negative.
- Each person in your business that has/may have been in contact with Covid19 are also required to comply with isolation/quarantine instructions as advised by Queensland Health, which may be different for each business depending on the level of exposure and other factors. Queensland Health will advise what is appropriate for your situation.
3. What do you need to do to clean your business?
The Public Health Response Process Guidelines state, “The Public Health Unit will provide advice on cleaning. Some businesses will need to close for cleaning, but once that cleaning is complete, they will be able to re-open”.
- CLICK HERE to read the Queensland Health Public Health Response Process.
- CLICK HERE to refer to Queensland Health COVID19 cleaning, disinfection and waste management guidance.
- CLICK HERE for additional details about Safe Work Australia's recommended cleaning guidelines for workplaces.
Once cleaning is done, and all staff have tested negative, and you have met requirements as advised by Queensland Health, your business can re-open.
Eumundi Chamber appreciates the quick response by Sunshine Coast Council in providing support to impacted businesses, as well as the local business community during the recent Covid19 exposure alert in Eumundi and surrounding areas.
Council’s Economic Development Team has collated resources, programs, support and assistance available to local business, which is accessible via the link below.
Each Eumundi business impacted by COVID19 exposure has also been contacted directly by Chamber and Council’s Economic Development team, and will be supported as needed during recovery.
CLICK HERE to download Sunshine Coast Council’s Local Business Support bundle.
As Covid19 restrictions ease, Business Queensland provides the following information, support and resources to help you reopen and grow your business, including:
- Current business restrictions
- Changes to collecting customer information
- Business assistance finder, ie financial assistance and other relief measures
- Industry and sector support
- Health and safety obligations for your business, staff and customers
- Supply chain support and manufacturing opportunities
- Leasing assistance and support for commercial tenants and landlords
- Managing employees – Human Resources Basics
- Finance and funding, ie managing finances and cash flow for decision making and recovery
- Risk assessment and business panning to prepare and protect your business from risk, including business continuity planning, surviving economic downturns and avoiding scams
- Small business hotline
CLICK HERE to access this section of the Business Queensland Website.
Under the current Restrictions on Businesses, Activities and Undertakings Direction (No. 21) it is now mandatory for a wider range of businesses, venues and other organisations to collect customer information to support fast contact tracing through the Check In Qld app.
You can check the list of businesses, venues and other organisations along with requirements to make sure you understand and maintain compliance HERE.
If you haven’t already implemented the app in your business, to get started all you need to do is complete the registration form online. A set up guide, including the unique QR code for the venue will then be provided by email.
It’s our understanding that there will be officers in the field randomly checking compliance, with penalties for businesses that fail to collect and/or produce contact tracing information.
For direct support, you can contact 134 COVID (13 42 68).
CLICK HERE to register for the COVID app for your business.