Local governments on the Sunshine Coast are scaling back the number of COVID-19 bulletins they’ll be posting.
Sunshine Coast Emergency Operations Centred (EOC) started issuing daily updates on March 20, and the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD), Sechelt and Gibsons followed suit with updates that incorporated the EOC bulletin into the latest information about changes to government services.
The shíshálh Nation has been posting information as needed on its main webpage.
SCRD chair Lori Pratt and Sechelt Mayor Darnelda Siegers also offered daily video updates. Gibsons Mayor Bill Beamish opted for occasional written updates.
In her March 28 video, Pratt said, “Going forward the local government Emergency Operations Centre bulletins will be posted on our websites Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and I will be doing community video messages on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
Siegers, who also posted a video on March 28, said she too will continue with video messages, but only three times a week. “Should emerging information come up that is time sensitive that we need to get to you quickly, we will issue additional bulletins and/or video messages.”
The Sunshine Coast COVID Physician Task Force is also planning to “decrease the frequency” of its updates starting this week, according to its March 27 update.
The March 30 EOC update reminds residents of the Ministry of Environment’s immediate ban on all open burning with the exception of campfires.
It also included a notice to Sunshine Coast Transit riders to “please be patient as transit works to monitor passenger capacity on buses to allow for physical distancing. If the bus passes by, it is because the driver has reached the limit.” Also, effective immediately, customers carrying bags of recycling items such as cans and bottles will not be allowed to board the bus.
As well, the EOC is asking people not to call RCMP to report people who stand too close together. It is also advising people who are not primary residents of the Coast to “please consider staying at your primary residence unless you feel that you can help support and enhance essential services, and/or help protect the health and well-being of the community.”
The latest information is available at:
SCRD: www.scrd.ca/covid-19-updates
Sechelt: www.sechelt.ca/Live/COVID-19-Municipal-Updates
Gibsons: www.gibsons.ca/community/community-resources/covid-19/
Shíshálh Nation: https://shishalh.com
