COVID-19 and Local Government Preparedness
In order to strengthen collaboration among all orders of government in our collective response to COVID-19, local governments are advised to monitor updates provided by the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, the Provincial Public Health Officer and the Public Health Agency of Canada. While the risk to British Columbians continues to be low, the number of cases within British Columbia and worldwide are increasing and the approach by the provincial and federal governments is evolving.
Events and Gatherings
Yesterday the province directed that all event organizers cancel any gathering larger than 250 people. The Province has shared guidance on mass gatherings to assist with the case by case assessment of the risks posed by public gatherings.
Advisories to Local Government
The Provincial Health Officer and the BC Centre for Disease Control have prepared two advisories for the attention of local governments: one highlights information resources for B.C. public agencies; and another that outlines four ways local governments and Indigenous communities can prepare for the scenario of significant community spread of COVID-19.
B.C. Pandemic Provincial Coordination Plan
The Province has recently updated the British Columbia Pandemic Provincial Coordination Plan. Local governments are encouraged to revisit their role as set out in Section Six of the plan.
Provincial COVID-19 Communication Hub
The Union of B.C. Municipalities is working with the Province to ensure that local governments and the public have a single access point for information specific to overarching provincial initiatives. The Province is developing this online hub to coordinate COVID-19 public information. UBCM will provide an update to members once the hub is online and will work with EMBC and other provincial agencies to support content development specific to local governments.
UBCM will continue to provide information updates and links to members as the provincial response to COVID-19 evolves.