Horowhenua Mayor Bernie Wanden
Most Horowhenua District Council services and facilities will continue as Horowhenua entered Alert Level 2 this week, with additional precautions in place where necessary to protect public health and safety.
Following the Government announcement that community transmission of COVID-19 has been detected in Auckland, Horowhenua District Council Chief Executive David Clapperton says Council has been preparing for the possible return of community transmission of COVID-19.
“We have continued to take advice from the Ministry of Health and the National Emergency Management Agency since the pandemic began and have been working behind the scenes to plan ahead,” he says.
“We all hope this elevation in our alert level will be short-lived, and at this stage we’re proceeding with business as usual as much as possible. However, public health remains a priority and we have put additional measures in place to protect our community.
“Our staff will carry out contact tracing at all Council service centres, libraries and swimming pools, and restrictions will be in place to ensure safe physical distancing.
“In line with Government restrictions limiting gatherings to 100 people, some Council events may be cancelled, and we will be limiting the number of people who can enter our facilities at one time.”
Mr Clapperton says all essential Council services will continue, and Council has continuity plans in place to ensure they can continue to provide these services if the alert level increases.
Mayor Bernie Wanden says Horowhenua will continue to play its part in the national effort against COVID-19 and encouraged people to heed Government advice to keep themselves and others safe.
“Please keep your distance from others in public and stay at home if you’re sick. If you haven’t yet downloaded the Government’s contact tracing app, please do so and use it to record where you’ve been so the information is ready if it’s needed.
“Above all, remember to be kind and support each other. This news will cause stress and anxiety for many of us, but our community has shown before that we have tremendous strength and resilience when we work together, and I know we can do that again.”
A table of Council services and facilities at Alert Level 2 is available on the COVID-19 page of Council’s website.
For further information about the alert levels and the Government response to COVID-19, please visit the Unite Against COVID-19 website: https://covid19.govt.nz/
