City of Nanaimo's operations update while dealing with COVID-19

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed April 2, 2020 2:32 PM

On Wednesday, April 1, 2020 a Special Council meeting was held to discuss the City's response to COVID-19.

While each function provided a detailed update to Council, the common message is that the City facilities may be closed to the public but the work continues and "we are open for business" emphasized Dale Lindsay, General Manager, Development Services. The City wants to assure the public they are focused on keeping critical services running without interruption. This is a province-led emergency and the City is adhering to the Provincial health Orders, therefore many changes have been made to ensure compliance.

Internally, staff have implemented new physical distancing safety measures such as single occupant per vehicle, flexible work schedules and installation of virtual switchboards to reduce numbers in a facility at one time. City facilities are seeing increased cleaning schedules and enhanced disinfecting measures to reduce transmission. Nanaimo Fire Rescue have limited in person training and are working with an online model.

Externally, thanks to distance collaboration platform meetings with the public, developers and consultants have moved online to ensure business moves forward. Nanaimo Fire Services continues to focus on fire suppression and smoke detector instillation is still taking place to ensure community safety beyond COVID-19 is still in place.

Coming from these updates, a few important messages should be shared with the public. The RCMP is encouraging residents to double check doors are locked as they are experiencing a rise in break and enters. RCMP and Bylaw are still responding and relying on online methods to collect concerns. Parks, Recreation & Culture are seeing folks enjoy parks and trails but installing signage to remind residents to always follow Orders from Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC's Medical Health Officer.

Jake Rudolph, Chief Administrative Officer said "City departments are working on business continuity planning to ensure detailed plans are in place if sickness amongst staff should occur. As some of the biggest challenges faced is uncertainty and the rapid pace of new information, the City continues to adapt and respond to Provincial needs."

For more information on what the City is doing in response to COVID-19, please visit the dedicated web page on the City's website nanaimo.ca.

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