Enderby mayor Greg McCune is thanking the community for its swift response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Community members are feeling the impact of the coronavirus in different ways – from isolation and anxiety to health and economic loss,” McCune said on March 19.
“Our hearts and minds are with those who are affected by the outbreak. We are living in challenging times, but we will beat this by thinking of others, staying well-informed, and acting in socially responsible ways.”
McCune stressed the city will continue to provide essential and emergency services, and thanked emergency responders, city staff and his fellow council members for their work during “a time of crisis.”
McCune also implored residents to continue to support small local businesses where possible.
“Our businesses and their employees also deserve tremendous praise for operating in socially responsible ways,” he said. “Please use their services with courtesy and respect. We need to think of them as our economy slows.”
Supporting businesses also means maintaining patience while stores play catch-up with delayed supply chains, McCune said.
“Employees in the retail and service industries are on the front lines,” he said. “Behind them, suppliers and manufacturers are working hard to adjust their operations due to the demands placed on supply chains.”
As McCune said, there are a number of ways individuals can help their community, including practising social distancing, to help slow the transmission of the novel coronavirus, keeping daily tabs on information provided by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control and avoiding rumour-spreading at a time when false information can have a particularly negative impact.
In times of widespread self-isolation, people can also pick up the phone and make sure others have the support they need.
“It can be something as simple as making sure that your friends and neighbours know that you are only a telephone call away.”
The city has enacted its Emergency Operations Centre to address the evolving public health threat. Regular updates informed by the provincial health authority will be posted to the city’s emergency dashboard at cityofenderby.com.
“A pandemic demands an emergency response quite unlike anything experienced in recent history,” McCune said. “Like nothing else, it requires an “all of society” approach.
“When faced with challenge, the one thing that I always have faith in is Enderby’s ability to respond as a community.”
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