The Town of Sidney is taking precautionary measures, restricted public access to all municipal buildings, including municipal hall, the community safety building, public works and parks yard, and driver’s services in the amid COVID-19 concerns.
The measures came into effect at 11 a.m. Monday as per a release from Sidney in which the municipality also said it would continue to carry out all essential services. Monday’s announcement comes after Sidney Museum announced Sunday afternoon that it would close until it was safe to re-open.
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During the closure, Sidney residents can pay bills online at mysidney.sidney.ca/tempestapps/ecom, drop payments in the letterbox at municipal hall, or pay at their financial institution. For all other services or inquiries, residents can call 250-656-1184 or email the appropriate department found on Sidney’s website, where residents can also find updates. Residents can reach elected officials at admin@sidney.ca.
The municipality also announced it would live-stream council meetings through its website in asking residents not to attend Monday’s meeting. The municipality will continue to record and post meetings to its website within 48 hours of the meeting.
Sidney’s announcement encourages residents to follow safe practices as outlined by the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and to stay home if they are sick.
“The Town of Sidney assures residents that we have been closely monitoring and pre-planning for the COVID-19 situation since the initial outbreak and continue to monitor and plan next steps to ensure the safety of all Sidney residents,” it reads. “As we move forward in our response, our key message is: ‘Preparation, not panic.'”
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