Council has launched a one-stop-shop for residents to find the most up-to-date operating hours of essential businesses in the Tamworth region.
The launch of the Tamworth Region Trading Directory follows announcements from both the federal and state governments that a more comprehensive shutdown of services will be implemented this week.
Mayor Col Murray said they are aware the residents want to have the most up-to-date information on where and when they can access the essential services that will remain open into the foreseeable future.
"This directory provides residents with a specially curated one-stop-shop to access that exact information," he said.
"The effectiveness of this database will be based on a collective effort between Council and businesses, and our team will be relying on businesses to let us know if and when anything changes for them.
"To date, Council has had an extremely positive response from those that have already been contacted, and most have been eager to help keep the community informed."
Essential services in the directory include supermarkets, pharmacies, doctors’ surgeries, fuel stations and convenience stores.
Businesses providing an essential service that are not currently listed on the directory but wish to be are encouraged to complete the online form at the bottom of the webpage to be added.
For those hospitality businesses operating in a takeaway/delivery capacity, the council has partnered with NBN who have recently launched the We Love It community directory.
These businesses can visit www.weloveit.com.au, register for free and create a listing for their business.
Council is also encouraging businesses to use the hashtag #TradinginTamworth when posting about any updates to their business operations to social media.
This is another searchable way that residents can keep up-to-date with changes to business operations over the coming weeks.