Cr Turland said that something needed to be implemented to keep council staff and the public safe.

"Anyone can walk in to council and unknowingly infect others," he said.

"It's about minimising risk and being safe."

A statement from the Wingecarribee Shire Council general manager Anne Prendergast in relation to COVID-19 stated that council was taking steps to assess the ways in which the virus may impact essential services.

"Our community is now facing a new challenge in the form of the ever changing COVID-19 situation," she said.

"I want to provide an update as to what council is doing to keep our customers and staff safe and how we are managing essential services during this time of heightened concern."

Several actions have been taken over the past few days which include:

Establishing a Continuity Management Team and assessing all critical business continuity plans.

Monitoring all advice currently being provided through the Australian Government Department of Health and NSW Health. We encourage all residents to do the same.

Providing information to our staff on safe hygiene practices and protocols to ensure that steps are taken to minimise the spread of the virus.

Assessing all events and programs organised by council and making the necessary decision to postpone or cancel these events in the interests of community safety.

"I wish to stress that council will continue to rely on the advice provided by the Australian Government Department of Health and NSW Health and that we will continue to update our emergency protocols to reflect this advice," Ms Prendergast said.

Neighbouring Wollondilly Shire Council has made the decision to scale back face to face services.

Mayor Matthew Deeth said that vital services would be kept running, but in some cases they would have to be approached in a different way.

"Our key focus also is the health and safety of our staff in these challenging times."

"This is a rapidly evolving situation and we are monitoring it closely and making decisions accordingly," he said.

"While as many staff as possible are being asked to work from home, services such as waste collection and road maintenance will continue and council's front counter will remain staffed, with protective measures in place such as sanitiser at the door."

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