With the recent escalation in cases of Covid-19 (Coronavirus) both globally and within Australia, a District Crisis Management Committee has been established to provide ongoing support to members and Clubs to manage Rotary activities.
On 6 March Rotary International President, Mark Daniel Maloney advised that “The health and safety of our members are our top priorities” and I wish to reiterate this by saying all of us have an obligation to provide a safe environment while conducting Rotary activities and events.
To this end we are closely monitoring the pandemic and continuously assessing its potential impact on our operations, meetings and events in conjunction with our insurers AON.
As you know news alerts and media releases are happening daily and information is changing rapidly so as your District Governor, I can but offer advice, encouragement and support. In short whether to cancel or postpone meetings or Rotary-related events is a Club decision and it needs to take into account the following:
- Our duty of care to members and families (many of whom are in the higher risk category)
- Our duty of care to the public (we need to be seen as a responsible organisation and meeting public expectations)
- Our obligations under State and Federal law
- The advice of our insurers.
A special report prepared for Rotary International by the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies estimated the value of Rotary member volunteer hours at $850 million a year.
