MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR
& COUNCIL
COVID
– 19
Tuesday March 24, 2020
Dear
residents, visitors, and business owners. I know many residents are concerned, as
are we [Council], about the health and safety of everyone in our town as we
face this rapidly evolving COVID-19 outbreak. As announced by the Territorial
Government, there are now two (2) confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Whitehorse. At
this time, we do not have any confirmed cases in Faro. We will do everything we
can to increase our level of preparedness to support the community.
We strongly
urge everyone to remain calm during this outbreak. We also strongly recommend
all members of the community follow the guidance, direction, and orders of the
Territorial Chief Medical Officer of Health.
STEPS TAKEN
THUS FAR
Over the
past few weeks, the COVID-19 outbreak has greatly accelerated. Due to this
acceleration, we have taken several steps to help us better organize the
community’s response to this pandemic. Some of the steps taken so far include:
3. On a daily basis, Town officials including Mayor and Council participate in a regularly scheduled conference call with experts including officials from the Ministry of Community Services, the office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, and Yukon’s Emergency Measures Organization. There, we receive the most recent updates from the territory on developments of this virus not just within the territory but across the country as well.
WHAT’S COMING
NEXT
PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY
-
Self Isolation:
o
All Yukoners returning home and all visitors
must self-isolate for 14 days.
o
All restaurants must reduce their seating
capacity to 50% with spacing of 2 metres apart.
o
Prepare to
offer take-out and delivery service only as of opening on March 26.
o
All bars must be closed.
ENFORCEMENT OF
ORDERS – PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES
The Town has been working
hard to put into place mechanisms to ensure the continued provision of
emergency services. With the closure of some facilities, staff will be
reassigned to other areas as much as possible.
1.
Administrative Office, Programs &
Services
ii.
Administrative Request – admin-faro@faroyukon.ca
iii.
CAO Support – cao-faro@faroyukon.ca
b.
If you require support and do not
have access to a computer with internet, please call:
i.
OFFICE – 1-867-994-2728
ii.
PUBLIC WORKS – 1-867-994-2758
iii.
AMBULANCE – 1-867-994-4444 (OR 911)
iv.
FIRE DEPT. – 1-867-994-2222
v.
RCMP – 1-867-994-5555 (OR 911)
2.
Recreation and Arena Centre
a.
Until further notice, the Recreation
and Arena Centre will be closed. All programs scheduled will either be
temporarily postponed and rescheduled or cancelled.
b.
THE SHEEP & CRANE EVENT IS NOW
CANCELLED.
3.
Public Works Operations
a.
Public Works Operations including the
Solid Waste Facility (Landfill) will continue to operate as normal at this
time. The Town will re-evaluate the situation and provide further updates
as is necessary.
4.
Mayor and Council Operations
a.
The Regular Council Meetings
scheduled for April 7 and 21 will continue as planned at this time. This is
subject to change with little to no notice. However, the administration is
currently researching ways to make Council meetings accessible through
electronic means.
COMMUNICATIONS
On behalf of
Council, I would like to acknowledge and apologize for the slow pace of
communication originating from the Town of Faro. We have not achieved a
reasonable standard for communicating with our community members and for that,
I wish to extend a profound apology. We are working to do better.
This
outbreak has highlighted several gaps in our capacity and operational
infrastructure and over the coming weeks, we will be working to address those
gaps so that we can continue to support our community.
All updates
from the municipality will be posted to our website http://faro.ca/and across municipal owned or operated social media platforms. Please visit our
website for all the latest updates from the Town. We will also post updates at the Post Office,
Discovery Store, VanGorder Fuels and the bank for those who do not have
computers.
WHAT YOU SHOULD
BE DOING?
1.
Assess yourself:
a.
The Yukon Government has a self-assessment tool
which will help you identify your level of risk or exposure to the virus.
Please visit https://service.yukon.ca/en/covid-19-self-assessment/for the self assessment tool. If you have symptoms of flu, please isolate yourself
and contact 811 or 911 depending on the severity of your symptoms.
2.
Staying Informed:
a.
Do NOT panic! It is understandable if you are
concerned. Every member of the community is advised to keep abreast of the
facts as they evolve. Some important information can be found at: https://yukon.ca/, https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19.html,
or https://www.who.int/. Please refrain from
making decisions based purely on emotions (fear), rumours, or unverified
information.
3.
Plan and prepare your own emergency kits
a.
Every member of the community is advised to
check your level of preparedness for if or when the Town of Faro faces the
COVID-19. Some things to consider include food supply, medication supply,
batteries, and other supplies to ensure your comfort for a period of 2 weeks at
a time.
b.
Please do not forget to think of your neighbour
and fellow community members. Members of the community are encouraged to
purchase only what they need at this time. Do not hoard supplies.
I would like
to thank everyone for the continued understanding and support as we do our best
to support the community. I would also like to specifically recognize the hard
work and dedication of our amazing staff. You are often our unsung heroes, for
without you, it would be impossible to continue supporting our community.
This is the
time when we must stand united and support each other. We are in this together
and we will pull through. Please take care and stay tuned.
Len Faber
Mayor
Members
of Council (alphabetical by first name)
Cheryl
Stubbs, Councillor
Lisa Snyder,
Deputy Mayor
Pat
McCracken, Councillor
Tina Freake,
Councillor