Update as of 28th June 2021:
- Masks will be worn on site if working indoors and customer facing.
- Office meetings will require an appointment & a mask
- Site inspections if indoors will require a mask, 1.5m at all time distance if outdoors
Ongoing:
As we all follow the latest news and updates about COVID-19, we think about the health and safety of our team members, clients, and the communities that we serve. Our business may operate a little differently while we take additional precautions.
Our Fyshwick office
It will function sporadically and by appointment only. We are quite lucky as most of our staff work remotely or can do so quite easily. If we do work from the office, there will be a limit to a maximum of five people in the office at any one time. We will closely monitor the advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Australian and ACT Government and medical authorities to fight the spread of this virus.
Our trades
They will work as individuals on set schedules at each of our construction sites to minimize the number of trades on site at once. Construction of Pods will still continue but limiting attendance on-site may cause some small delays.
Open Pods
This will be temporarily suspended until we are 100% confident and sure that our attendees and clients will be safe to gather around. We were previously having groups attending our Opens with family members and would hate to pose any risk to the family whose home we are visiting or those attending the Open.
Site inspections
These will be booked one at a time in a day to lessen social exposure with only one member of The Pod Canberra team.
Emails and phone calls are encouraged rather than face to face meetings.
Inquiries will continue to be answered on normal business hours.
Our suppliers
They are busy making sure that the product we have reserved is staying put and we are checking to make sure that the products we have chosen are not going to have large delays. Currently, the stock levels are suitable for us for 6 months of no imports, although, Australia 5000L tanks are so popular after the fires, they are currently a 6-8 week wait. We will notify you of anything else that may come up in the future on this blog.
Our installers
They are currently all open and available for business. During these tough times, we are all needing to stick together to try and make sure that small and medium businesses stay afloat. Therefore we are working with them to secure the next jobs they have and the products they will require for those.
What will happen if COVID-19 spreads in Canberra?
If the spread gets worse there is a likely shut down of business for a period of time (we strongly hope we won’t reach this stage) and we will need to tackle that when the time comes.
What does this mean for you?
If you’re building a Pod:
Currently, this will have no effect on you, there might be a 1-3 week delay if trades would need more time due to the situation or if a supplier gets delayed with logistics.
If you’re in the plans & approval stage:
There has been no update to us from ACTPLA/ ACT council regarding plan approvals and delays, so for the moment, everything should be running on track.
If you want a Pod and haven’t started the process yet:
It’s a great time to plan and get prepared for the future, banks are reducing interest so this could be the best time to get preapproval for something like a Pod. Many people are unsure of their current situation and that’s fine, we understand that this will be a large commitment. We are happy to help with the planning process and if/when you’re ready and circumstances slow down and the economy has recovered, we will be happy to move things forward for you then.
We appreciate your patience and ongoing support during this time. If you have any questions please contact us.
If you would like to see more updates for the construction industry, MBA have great coverage. Please click HERE.
Thank you and stay safe!
The Pod Canberra.