City of Ottawa declares state of emergency due to COVID-19
Posted Mar 25, 2020 03:30:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Mayor Jim Watson has declared a state of emergency for the City of Ottawa due to the local spread of COVID-19.
In a statement released Wednesday, the mayor says declaring a state of emergency will help the city better deploy its emergency operations and staff. It will also enable a more flexible procurement process, which will help purchase equipment required by frontline workers and first responders as it becomes available in the coming weeks.
Ottawa Public Health confirmation of the community spread of COVID-19 in Ottawa last Sunday.
“We are also starting to see cases among health care workers who have not traveled or been a close contact of a confirmed case,” said Watson.
Following Wednesday morning's declaration, the city formally asked the provincial government to give it flexibility to manage movement of staff and to redeploy resources, to support essential services and to be adaptable as this situation continues to quickly evolve.
As of Wednesday morning, Ottawa had 27 confirmed cases of COVID-19. In Ontario, 688 positive cases of the virus have been confirmed to date.
Residents are reminded to visit Ottawa Public Health's website to find out more about how they can fight the spread of the coronavirus, and what to do if they think they have it.
