As businesses reopen in the multicultural Sydney suburb of Burwood, very few have put up official COVID-19 information in languages other than English (LOTE).
Instead, when SBS News visited the suburb this week, it saw homemade LOTE pandemic signs, posters made by local business or cultural associations and some businesses without any information at all.
Pharmacy manager Ying Zhang is one of several businesspeople in Burwood who said she simply couldn't find government-issued coronavirus posters for Mandarin or Cantonese-speaking customers.
"We do need to have more signage with different languages, especially for people that can't read English ... This would help prevent the spread of the virus," she told SBS News.
According to the most recent census, 76 per cent of households in Burwood speak a language other than English at home.
"Social distancing and personal hygiene information is so important [at this time] - how to wash hands … how to cough into elbows," Ms Zhang said.
She said elderly non-English speakers in particular needed much more official signage as "they may be panicking about this".
The lack of official government signage in LOTE around Burwood is not for lack of trying - the NSW and federal health departments have a wealth of downloadable resources in dozens of languages.
A homemade sign at Burwood butcher. Source: Lucy Murray
But .
It's spurred calls for pandemic information and resources in LOTE to be much more accessible and widespread, especially as the country may still face a second wave of infections.
A homemade sign in Burwood asking people to observe 1.5 metre social distancing. Source: Lucy Murray
"At every stage of this pandemic, we've seen a lag in the mainstream space and then a further lag in the multicultural space. A lot of the slack has been picked up by the ethnic and multicultural media," Peter Doukas, the chair of the Ethnic Communities' Council of NSW told SBS News.
"There is a lack of information coming through [to multicultural Australia]," he said.
Mr Doukas said it was vital that multicultural businesses are treated the same as others.
NSW Health’s simplified Chinese COVID-19 poster. Source: NSW Health
"There is no difference between businesses that operate in-language and businesses that tailor to exclusively English speaking or the non-multicultural community. All of these businesses are equal, all of them are vital the recovery," he said.
"If any of them are being discriminated against as a result of their language or inability to access information, then that's something that needs to be addressed."
Mr Doukas did acknowledge the state and federal governments were doing the best they could in difficult circumstances and they had regularly been in dialogue with key multicultural groups.
But he said it was important to improve any gaps in information soon, as other countries start to experience second waves of the virus.
"We know the second wave will be different, because ... if it happens, it will be in our winter, so it could be more pronounced and more dangerous."
A spokesperson for NSW Health told SBS News, "from the outset of the COVID-19 crisis, NSW Health has made every effort to ensure rapid and comprehensive information was provided to multicultural communities".
A statement from the federal Department of Health said it is "committed to making COVID-19 public health information available to all Australians, inclusive of people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds".
"Communication activities continue to be implemented through stakeholders at multiple levels (both directly and indirectly) as well as through targeted broadcast mediums as part of the media placement and public relations activities (translated editorial and downloadable resources)."
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.
Testing for coronavirus is now widely available across Australia. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
The federal government's coronavirus tracing app COVIDSafe is available for download from your phone's app store.
SBS is committed to informing Australia’s diverse communities about the latest COVID-19 developments. News and information is available in 63 languages at .
