Volunteering Tasmania has written a handy guide about how to volunteer safely as during the pandemic as COVID has had a considerable impact on volunteering across Tasmania and Australia.
"As volunteers and volunteer organisations it is vital that we do everything we can to limit the spread of the COVID-19 in our communities. To help us make decisions about when, where and how we volunteer, and who volunteers, we need to have access to the best information available at the time."
In developing this Guide, Volunteering Tasmania has sought the latest public health advice and followed the directions of the Tasmanian Emergency Management Act (2019) (TEMA), and the response levels outlined in Tasmanian pandemic plans. They have also drawn on evidence from the international modelling that forms the basis for models of pandemic impact in Tasmania
This Guide highlights the range of volunteering opportunities still available to people in Tasmania. It has been developed to help your organisation make decisions about volunteering during the pandemic. Although some volunteering activities have been paused and others need to be undertaken with caution. This resource provides guidance only to volunteer organisations.
"We caution organisations to carefully consider their duty of care to their volunteers; the spread of COVID-19 can be regarded as a foreseeable risk from which community groups are required to take reasonable steps to protect volunteers. Additionally, consider the impact on the health system of inadvertently increasing the risk of spreading the virus."
The guide includes a risk matrix on recommended use of volunteers in essential roles.
