The City of St. Thomas and nearby municipalities officially declared states of emergency as Ontario confirmed another 59 new cases of COVID-19, bumping up the total to 369.
The Mayor of St. Thomas, Joe Preston, said he made the decision after the city had discussions with its local health agency along with neighboring municipalities.
“We decided collectively it was time… it’s imperative that cities are able to take care of their citizens and ensure essential services are there for them.”
Preston says declaring a state of emergency will not necessarily change the way the city and public function; that depends on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to an official statement released Saturday from the City of St. Thomas, declaring an emergency provides municipalities “… opportunities to further protect the health and safety of all individuals, families and businesses as well as the vulnerable populations that we serve.”
But Preston says this does not mean more funding for St. Thomas — at least not at this time.
The townships of Southwold and Malahide and several municipalities across the region, including Bayham, Central Elgin and Dutton Dunwich have also declared a state of emergency.
St. Thomas’s declaration comes days after Ontario declared a state of emergency on Tuesday.