Add municipal hall to the list of Oak Bay facilities that are temporarily closed.
Oak Bay staff continue to work inside, however the doors were locked to the public around noon on Tuesday, the latest Oak Bay facility to be temporarily closed in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 flu virus.
“It really is hour by hour,” said Oak Bay Mayor Kevin Murdoch. “While there is still a low risk to individuals in our region, it’s important for the municipality to act to interrupt the potential spread of this disease. This is intended to prevent the kinds of spikes seen in other jurisdictions like Italy.”
In response to the rapidly changing COVID-19 situation, Municipal facilities will be closed to the public effective immediately. We apologize for any inconveniences that may be experienced and appreciate the public’s patience during this time: https://t.co/eC5PpVGzD5 pic.twitter.com/6ILyu1qduS
— District of Oak Bay (@DistrictOakBay) March 17, 2020
At the same time, staff are working to find alternate deliveries of municipal services, Murdoch said.
As a result, expect staff’s response time to be longer than usual.
“While some services may be delayed or unavailable, we will work to reduce these service disruptions and provide regular updates as information becomes available,” Murdoch said.
On Monday night, staff also made the decision to close Oak Bay Recreation Centre, Henderson Recreation Centre, Monterey Centre, Windsor Pavilion and the Neighbourhood Learning Centre.
READ MORE: Oak Bay closes rec centres effective Tuesday
The province announced Tuesday that all schools will remain closed after spring break, including Oak Bay High, Monterey and Lansdowne middle schools, Margaret Jenkins and Willows elementary schools. B.C. School Sports also suspended all spring sports seasons, effectively cancelling the Oak Bay Barbarians girls and boys rugby seasons and shuts down Oak Bay’s legendary track and field team.
Customer service contact information is available on the district’s website at oakbay.ca/municipal-hall/contacts and updates at www.oakbay.ca/covid-19 and on Oak Bay’s official social media accounts.
Municipal hall is already acting as an Emergency Operations Centre and staff are closely monitoring the directions of the federal and provincial governments, Island Health, and other authorities.
READ ALSO: Drive through COVID-19 screening clinic opens in Victoria
