21/03/2020
Declaration of State of Emergency
Elgin County, City of St. Thomas, Municipality of Bayham, Municipality of Central Elgin, Municipality of Dutton Dunwich, Township of Southwold and
Township of Malahide
Today, March 21, 2020 at 11:00 am, Elgin County Warden, along with Mayors from the City of St. Thomas, Municipality of Bayham, Municipality of Central Elgin, Township of Southwold, Municipality of Dutton Dunwich and the Township of Malahide each declared a local State of Emergency in their municipalities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic developments in our region.
Declaring an emergency affords our municipalities opportunities to further protect the health and safety of all individuals, families and businesses as well as the vulnerable populations that we serve. This declaration also aligns with the Government of Ontario’s Declaration of Emergency made on March 17, 2020.
Municipalities across the County Elgin, including the Municipality of West Elgin and the Town of Aylmer both of which made similar declarations earlier this week, as well as the City of St. Thomas are working together to protect the health and well-being of our residents. Our collective priorities are: the health, safety and well-being of the public and our employees; and maintaining essential services that our residents rely on.
The declaration also supports Public Health recommendations that reinforce the importance of acting now to help flatten the curve of spread of COVID-19, including:
• Avoid gatherings
• Practice adequate social distancing
• Wash your hands for 15-20 seconds with soap and use hand sanitizer
• Cough or sneeze into your arm
• If you have any symptoms, self-monitor and self-isolate, and contact a health care professional if symptoms persist
• If you have travelled outside Canada recently, ensure you self-isolate for 14 days
Residents are encouraged to continue to look to health officials for information about COVID-19. Locally, this is https://www.swpublichealth.ca/ .
As a reminder, many municipal services are impacted by the COVID-19 developments. Residents are encouraged to visit municipal websites for more information on service availability.