COVID-19 - Our Update: We will get through this together Otago
24 Mar 2020
Otago Community Trust - Latest Update
24 March 2020
Staff Now Working Remotely
The Otago Community Trust office is now closed. Our staff are working remotely and we ask if you have any queries to email: info@oct.org.nz
On March 23 NZ shifted from Alert Level 2 to Alert Level 3 immediately and by midnight Wednesday 25th will move to Alert Level 4.
This means everyone needs to prepare for self-isolation. Schools and all educational facilities close today, except for the children of essential workers such as health staff. They will be fully closed from midnight Wednesday, along with businesses except essential services such as supermarkets, pharmacies, clinics, and lifeline utilities.
Travel is severely restricted and only for essential services.
Grant Applications
Our team will continue to work through the immediate implications of COVID-19 for our region and our communities as they develop. These times are difficult and unprecedented and updates will be provided on our operations as they change, alongside our funding and / or community priorities.
We wish to reassure our grantees and community that we will continue to accept, process, award and pay grants, but bear with us as we navigate working remotely in this new environment.
Our Board Meeting scheduled for Tuesday 24th March has been postponed, thus our March granting decisions will be delayed.
Event Funding
We appreciate that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the events that we fund across Otago.
The Trust appreciates that organisations in this situation are likely to have incurred costs which cannot be avoided. In due course, when the COVID-19 storm calms and these events can be unwound, make contact with the Trust to discuss your particular circumstances.
Health & Safety
For the health and safety of our staff, trustees and community, the Otago Community Trust office is now closed. All staff are working remotely.
We recognise that these are unsettling times, and we want you to know that the safety of our community is our priority. Due to the fast-moving and disorienting nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people within our community are likely to quickly feel overwhelmed.
We encourage you to do the following:
- Take care of yourself, regularly and thoroughly clean your hands
- Stay connected - think about, and connect with friends, whānau, and others that may need your help
- Talk and reassure your tamariki / children
Children look to adults for guidance on how to react in and during stressful events. The Ministry of Education has some useful tips and resources to assist in navigating these conversations, we would encourage you to look at these if you need help.
Remember we all have a role in keeping out COVID-19, stamping it out and slowing the progression of COVID-19 in Aotearoa. Alert Level 4 is expected to continue for 4 weeks at this stage.
The best source of information on the current COVID-19 pandemic is from the New Zealand All of Government website - AOG COVID-19
For urgent COVID-19 health advice and information, contact the Healthline team on 0800 358 5453
Kia kaha tātou ❤️
Otago Community Trust
ESSENTIAL SERVICES
