Bradford West Gwillimbury Mayor Rob Keffer has declared a state of emergency in the town due to the new coronavirus pandemic.
“This declaration recognizes the long-term challenges COVID-19 presents to the province and our community and the need for an ongoing and comprehensive response,” town officials say.
“A declaration of an emergency under S.4 of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act ensures the town can use all available resources to protect the health and well-being of our residents and communicates the severity of the situation to our residents.”
An emergency declaration is determined based on a review of the effects of a situation on a community, the operational impacts to the town and the ability to provide essential services to residents.
Bradford’s emergency declaration comes a week after the town activated its emergency operation centre. It also comes a week after Simcoe County and Ontario declared emergencies over COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
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. As of this writing, there have been 2,531 confirmed cases in Canada.