Coronavirus: Oro-Medonte, Ont., declares state of emergency over COVID-19

Mayor Harry Hughes of Oro-Medonte, Ont., declared a state of emergency in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic on Monday.

“This decision allows the township to dedicate resources and be in a better position to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 virus while demonstrating the necessity of meaningful action by everyone,” Hughes said in a statement.

Declaring a state of emergency affords the Township of Oro-Medonte more authority and access to resources. It also simplifies the procedure for providing municipal services under the township’s operations continuity plan.

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Last week, Simcoe County’s warden declared a state of emergency over COVID-19 after the province announced one a day earlier.

1:54 Coronavirus outbreak: Work-life balance difficult for some working from home

On Monday, Premier Doug Ford ordered all non-essential Ontario businesses to close by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24. The order will be in place for at least 14 days.

As of Tuesday morning, there are 573 active cases of the novel coronavirus in Ontario. There have been 2,053 confirmed cases in Canada.