Coronavirus: Health authorities warn against returning to offices too soon

John Williams is responsible for teaching the next generation of physical education teachers, and many of the practical elements of his job are not conducive to a remote workplace.

But the assistant professor at Canberra University has found some innovative ways to work from home.

And while coronavirus restrictions are beginning to wind down, he hopes people do not rush back to their offices.

Dr Williams worries about his nine-year-old son, who has severe asthma, in the event of a major outbreak.

Health authorities fear people may now mistakenly believe it was okay for everyone to return to the office.

ACT deputy chief health officer Vanessa Johnston urged Canberrans to still work from home where possible.

"Staying home limits the number of people in offices and thins out the population that are in enclosed environments," she said.

Dr Johnston said the government did not have official data on how many extra people had returned to work in recent weeks.

"But there has been some commentary of increased traffic on the roads and carparks starting to fill up," she said.

Dr Johnston said working from home was not a "hard and fast rule" but was preferable.

"For people who are returning to the workplace, they should remember that physical distancing rules still apply," she said.

Dr Johnston said encouraging people to work from home would also avoid overcrowding on public transport.

The government says it has no plans to increase services to allow greater social distancing when more people return to offices.

Instead Transport Minister Chris Steel has asked people to avoid public transport, especially in peak hour.

ACT's coronavirus restrictions roadmap encourages people to work from home until at least mid-July.

Dr Williams says his students' online attendance has actually been on par with face-to-face learning.

But he's had to use some innovative ways to ensure his students are engaged, including dress-up days which encouraged shyer students to turn on their cameras and get more involved in classes.

He's also organised virtual sessions with some local AFL, cricket and netball organisations.

"The general public think that what we do is playing games and sport," he said.

"It's much more than that. When we're training athletes for example we use bio-mechanics."

Some of the work he does could never be translated fully to online learning.

But Dr Williams said he would retain some of the new ways of learning when everything goes back to normal.

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For example having more classes which can be done remotely, which would benefit students who otherwise travel daily from surrounding towns like Goulburn.

"There's certainly scope for us to revisit, reflect and look at what we can make better use of online in the future," he said.

• For information on COVID-19, please go to the ACT Health website or the federal Health Department's website.
• You can also call the Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080
• If you have serious symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, call Triple Zero (000)

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