The corona virus outbreak could mean the next Warrnambool City Council public meeting is live streamed.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mayor Tony Herbert said the council was investigating its options to see if that could be done before the next meeting on April 6.
Cr Herbert said that while the advice at this stage was that it should remain open to the public, the council would be be discouraging people from attending.
"We definitely would be discouraging members of the community from coming to the gallery," he said.
He said that last time the councillors met for a briefing it was in a large room where councillors sat "meters and meters" apart.
The Federal Government has introduced social distancing measures as a way of combating the spread of the deadly corona virus.
Other council's across the south-west are taking different approaches to dealing with the issue with Corangamite Shire Council announcing it would live-stream its Tuesday meeting.
However, Moyne Shire Council's ordinary meeting scheduled for Tuesday was postponed.
The council's chief executive officer Peter Schneider said.the council would provide a mechanism through which people could still submit questions to council before the meeting, but urged people not to attend.
"We understand that people are entitled to view democracy in action and to put questions to council at a regular open meeting," Mr Schneider said.
"However, given the advice on social distancing and hygiene recommendations it will be difficult for us to provide a low-risk environment for the meeting gallery.
"We are still required under the Local Government Act to have an open meeting but given the recommendations from the Department of Health and Human Services we are encouraging people to stay at home.
"We will provide a mechanism through which people can submit questions and we are also making arrangements to livestream the meeting.
"As we get closer to the meeting date we will let the public know about any changes to meeting arrangements."
Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.