The City of Stratford and Perth County (as well as all of its member municipalities) declared a state of emergency on Thursday.
Stratford Mayor Dan Mathieson says the move was made to help raise awareness of the urgency of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I did so in an effort to raise awareness with regard to community spread and the dangers it poses,” he said in a video posted to Twitter.
“I also did it to raise awareness about COVID-19 and coronavirus, so that we can all do our part and to make sure that we follow the advice of Dr. Myriam Clausen and the professionals at the Huron-Perth County Health Unit.”
Stratford made the decision at the same time as did its neighbouring municipalities, although St. Mary’s made the move a week earlier.
In a release, Perth County Warden Jim Aitcheson said a lot of thought was put into the declaration before it was made.
“The decision to declare an emergency is not taken lightly,” Aitcheson said. “Perth County is being proactive in our fight against COVID-19 to protect the health and safety of individuals and families.”
The joint statement from Perth County, Perth South, Perth East and Perth West noted several reasons why the move was made on Thursday.
It noted that the declaration was made to protect citizens and volunteers, as well as the municipalities rights to any compensation that becomes available.
The move is also said to provide the heads of a municipality to take actions or make orders, which are not contrary to law and will also allow the governments a way to act quicker.