The decision to declare a state of emergency in Oro-Medonte amid the COVID-19 pandemic was not done in haste, the mayor says.
“The township anticipated this,” Harry Hughes said of the potential need to make the declaration, which was done Monday afternoon.
Council had earlier passed a motion giving the CAO and mayor the authority to take such a measure.
“We didn’t want to get caught in a situation where we couldn’t have council meetings when decisions had to be made,” Hughes said.
Four members of council will meet Tuesday to vote on a change to its procedural bylaw that will allow it to hold meetings electronically. That initial meeting will be immediately followed by a second — attended electronically by the other councillors — to discuss relief for residents and businesses.
Hughes said council will discuss waiving interest on taxes that are not paid on time and on other payments made to the township.
The main message the mayor wanted to get out to residents is to be cautious but not panic. He encourages people to practise social distancing and proper hygiene and to follow guidelines set out by health professionals.
“This cannot work unless everybody does what they’re expected to do,” he said. “I want to emphasize the seriousness without there being a panic. This is not like an ice storm where the power goes out. You’re in your home. You have electricity. You have all these things that you’d have anyway.”
Hughes commended the various levels of government for their leadership during the pandemic, especially the province.
“There have been no gaps in their leadership,” he said.
