Brimbank is a city on high alert as fears of a COVID-19 outbreak grow.
Major events have been cancelled, schools are bracing for shutdowns, supermarket shelves lie empty and specialist teams have been setup at the Sunshine Hospital to deal with a possible outbreak.
Brimbank council said it has scrapped a number of its events; including a citizenship ceremony scheduled for March 18.
But it is yet to provide a list or details of other cancelled events.
It comes as the principal of a Braybrook school said it was not a case of if, but when, the government orders to close all schools.
Caroline Chisholm Catholic College principal Marco Di Cesare said the school was set to implement an emergency plan in the event school’s are shut down.
“If someone at the school is tested we have to shut down for a period, even if they don’t test positive … we’ve actually seen that with schools shutting down in anticipation of a positive result,“ he said.
“From what we’ve been hearing it’s not a case of if, but when … the government is being rightly very risk adverse and is trying to slow this thing down.“
The school sent out an email to parents last week, informing them of it’s contingency plan.
“We sent an email out to parents and staff after talk of schools being shut down heightened,“ Mr Di Cesare said.
“We wanted them to be sure that if and when the school needs to close, the business of learning will continue.“
The school has funnelled a significant amount of money into its online learning management system in recent years.
The online system allows parents and students to see what work is due and needed.
“We’ll fully utilise the system … staff will make sure all lessons and learning intentions are online and ready in the event of shutdown.“
Catholic Education Victoria also elected to cancel Catholic Education Week events planned for this week.
Meanwhile at Sunshine Hospital a specialist team has been put in place should the deadly virus arrive in Brimbank.
The hospital has also established an assessment clinic to test for possible cases.
The clinic’s hours of operation are from 12pm – 8:30pm.
Testing will only be provided for people who have traveled outside the country in the two-week period before their illness started or have had contact with a person known to have the virus.
Symptoms include sore throat, fever, cough and shortness of breath.
