Town plan ready to go if coronavirus comes to Collingwood

Collingwood staff are preparing plans to keep the town running during a COVID-19 (known as coronavirus) outbreak in the area should such an emergency occur.

Chief Administrative Officer Fareed Amin told council last night (March 4) he’s been working with town and county staff to prepare operating procedures in case the virus becomes more widespread.

Currently, there are about 20 cases confirmed in Ontario with the closest reported case in Newmarket, and another 102 under investigation. Three of the 20 cases in the province have been resolved, and none have been fatal in Ontario.

“This is a situation that could potentially become a serious one for us,” said Amin. “We’re not impacted now … I expect that things can change very quickly.”

Amin said it will be public health and local healthcare professionals handling the medical side of a virus outbreak, but the town would put a plan in place to communicate public health issues and awareness in case of the virus coming to Collingwood.

“I can assure you, we have a plan in place and one that we could ramp up quickly,” said Amin. “This is top of mind for us, and we understand the risks this could pose.”

The town already has an emergency plan at the ready, which is coordinated by Fire Chief Ross Parr.

The plan includes primary and back up roles for lead staff members in various emergencies, and back-up facilities in case regular town facilities are no longer accessible.

An emergency plan is mandated for every municipality by the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. To read Collingwood’s plan, click here.

All or part of that plan can be implemented in the case of a viral outbreak in town without the town needing to declare a state of emergency.

According to Deputy Fire Chief Dan Thurman, the declaration of “state of emergency” is something the town can do when it runs out of its own resources to handle a situation and requires provincial help.

In addition to the regular plan, Amin said town staff are working on the internal policy for staff sick days, including whether to relax the requirement of a doctor’s note if a staff member is away due to illness for more than three days.

Amin said the town is also coordinating with the IT department to make sure staff have the ability to work from home, and attend meetings remotely.

“We’re also looking at some custodial protocols,” said Amin.

Specifically, how to better disinfect offices, public transit vehicles, and staff vehicles at the end of the day.

Amin said the town is learning more about the disinfection techniques and equipment used by Collingwood Fire Department to possibly implement on a more town-wide basis.

The town must also consider service delivery in the event of a widespread outbreak. Peggy Slama, director of public works, engineering, and environmental services, is responsible for an essential services plan to make sure the town continues to deliver services such as water, wastewater, and snowplowing in the event of a staffing shortage due to widespread illness.

From a policy side, Amin said he’s been working with Clerk Sara Almas to make sure there are bylaws in place that would allow some flexibility during an emergency situation (one that hasn’t escalated to a state of emergency).

Amin suggested the town’s procurement bylaw might need some flexibility in the case of an outbreak to allow the town to purchase supplies quickly.

Town staff is also working on a plan in case town hall has to be closed. Services such as paying a tax bill would have to be suspended, so the town would also be looking at an official policy to waive penalties for late payments.

Town hall staff also provide death registration services, so Amin said he and staff are exploring other ways to offer that service in the event town hall is closed.

There have been no COVID-19 cases reported in Collingwood to date.

According to the provincial government website, COVID-19 is spread from person to person through close contact.

There is currently no vaccine, and health officials suggest people can protect themselves from the virus by washing their hands often with soap and water (scrub for 20 seconds), and by avoiding contact between your hands and your eyes, nose or mouth.

Stay home if you are sick and avoid contact with people who are sick. Sneeze and cough into your sleeve. 

For more information about COVID-19, the symptoms, and how to protect yourself, visit the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit website.