The public will be banned from attending this year’s Anzac Day services across Casey amid rising concerns of the coronavirus outbreak.
The announcement comes after RSL Victoria held an emergency meeting of the Anzac Day Commemorative Committee (ADCC) Monday, March 16 to discuss whether commemorative services on Anzac Day would go-ahead.
RSL sub-branches across Victoria will be asked to conduct a single Anzac Day commemorative service only. However, the public will be asked not to attend these services.
RSL Victoria State President, Dr Robert Webster OAM, said: “Anzac Day 2020 will not look like the Anzac Day that so many of us are used to participating in”.
“There will be a service, wreaths will be laid, the last post will still be played, a minute of silence in memory of the fallen will be observed, but the public will be asked to stay at home,” Dr Webster said.
“This is not a decision that the RSL takes lightly, but public health and safety must be our priority.”
A Dawn Service at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance will be conducted with small number of official guests and modified to minimize COVID19 risk – however the public will also be banned.
The Anzac Day march through Melbourne’s CBD and midday service at the Shrine of Remembrance has also been cancelled.
Dr Webster said there were many ways to participate in the commemoration on Anzac Day.
“Traditionally many of us have marked Anzac Day by attending a Dawn Service at our local cenotaph or the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance. But in 2020, on April 25, when you can’t go to a local Dawn Service, the RSL is asking that instead you tune in via radio, social media or television and take a moment to reflect on the service and sacrifice of our veterans and those who are still serving today,” he said.
“The most important thing is that together we remember our pledge as a Nation; Lest We Forget.”
RSL Victoria will now work with the Shrine of Remembrance and broadcasters to ensure that the service is televised so that Victorians can commemorate from home.
