A RIVERINA book club has moved online to stay connected at a time when coronavirus has left many people confined to their homes.
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The Women, Wine and Words book club will take to video conferencing to talk about the characters and story line of this month's page turner.
Leader of the reading group Penny Howse said the thought of continuing meetings during the health crisis had not immediately come to mind.
"At first I just thought that's a bummer," she said. However, Ms Howse said the group of nine women wanted to keep a little piece of normality during a time when their everyday routine was starting to look different.
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"Our book club group has been together for years and years and we are really excited to stay in touch by reading from afar," she said.
"We're moving the reading group online to the platform Zoom where we can still have a wine, catch up and talk about this month's book."
Wagga deputy mayor Dallas Tout, who is a strong advocate for regional libraries, said thinking outside the box will be crucial to maintain normality during these difficult times.
He said that although the region's library doors have closed, many of its resources were readily available online.
"With the health orders and reduction of paper and removal of books, we have fallen back on the e-resources which has been a growing part of what the community uses anyway," he said.
Cr Tout said regional libraries were finding ways to push more resources online, but the biggest challenge will be reaching the older demographic that are vulnerable.
"They might not have this technology to get online," he said. However, he said libraries were reaching out to these customers to find ways to keep them connected.
"We're trying to see if there is a family member who could make contact to set up that sort of access," he said.
- Those suffering acute, cold, flu-like symptoms who have recently returned from travelling or are a contact of a confirmed case are urged to be tested for the virus. To do this, call HealthDirect on 1800 0222 222 to be triaged and advised by a nurse over the phone. Alternatively, contact your GP to book an appointment and let them know in advance if you have symptoms - these might include fever, cough, runny nose or shortness of breath.
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