Reconciliation Victoria acknowledges the challenging and unprecedented time that we have all faced throughout the past year. The ongoing impacts of COVID-19 present many challenges for all Victorians, and with so much media circulating about the disease and recommendations, it can be difficult to distinguish the facts and the key messaging that people need to be aware of.
Our organisation encourages everyone to take the necessary precautions being recommended by our government and the Department of Health and do what you can to limit the impact of the virus on yourself and others. Make sure you reflect on the reputability of the news sources you choose to follow and share and listen foremost to the official statements from the government and Department of Health in regard to updates, precautions and advice. There are daily updates with all the necessary information from the Department of Health that can be accessed here. We would like to advise people that specific information is available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on the DHHS Website.
We are operating, as much as possible, with the mentality of ‘business as usual’. We have taken all necessary and suggested hygiene and physical distancing precautions to limit the impacts to our staff and community and we encourage everyone to do the same. As we ease into returning to office, our organisation is following the Victorian Government’s COVIDSafe Plan to ensure a safe and steady return to work within a shared space.
We are also taking into consideration the potential impact of the virus and flow on effects on upcoming events in the reconciliation calendar, such as the HART Awards, National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week. As restrictions ease and the possibility of hosting events returns, we are exploring how we can deliver safe and hygienic events to our communities.
With these challenging times comes an opportunity to develop new ways of being, thinking, relating, operating and coming together in kindness to support each other. May we rise to the challenge as a collective.