For the first time in its 148-year history The Standard is being produced without a working newsroom.

These unprecedented times have seen our journalists and photographers, who live not only in Warrnambool, but across the south-west from Dixie to Koroit and beyond, work from home.

Advertising, administration and classified staff are also working remotely where they can.

Like many other businesses across the region, our staff have pivoted, adapted and kept on going.

We continue to do what we've done for nearly 150 years - keep the community informed.

In these tough times we are keeping you up to date with the latest accurate information from government and health departments.

We are also telling the human stories.

We want to show you the impact this virus is having on the people in our community, and how you can help.

Our journalists work early morning shifts through to late shifts - and this hasn't changed.

At 7am our police reporter is still making his daily rounds, catching up on what's happened overnight.

Our 8.45am news conference - usually held in our boardroom - has gone online.

Bleary eyes and steaming cups of coffee can be seen as reporters pitch their stories for the day, before logging off and getting to work on those yarns.

The essence of what we do hasn't changed - instead of jumping in the car and heading out with a photographer for an interview, we are mostly conducting our work by phone.

And as deadline approaches each day, it's the usual rush to make sure the paper is complete, with the best and most engaging content showing our readers what's unfolded across the region, nation and world over the previous 24 hours.

But it's not all work - we've had a virtual afternoon tea, family pets and kids have made special appearances on video chats and there's even a daily meme sent at 5.01pm in the chat group.

There's been no doubt coronavirus has affected the south-west and will continue to do so.

Here at The Standard we know businesses across our region will be heavily impacted.

And that's why we want to support each one as much as we possibly can.

On Friday we ran a four-page guide listing business opening times in print and online - free of charge. We want to help businesses and the people they employ to ensure the region's economy can bounce back.

Our staff are members of the south-west community - we live, work and invest here.

Our partners, friends and families live here too.

We're on sporting committees, members of community groups and are volunteers, just like most hard-working south-west residents.

If you want to support The Standard, to help us continue to keep you informed, please consider taking out a subscription for our paper or online.

Times are tough, but we will continue to work through it together, and together we will come out the other side.

Take care of yourself and each other.