City and ACRD Actively Monitoring COVID-19

The Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District (ACRD) and City of Port Alberni are actively developing a joint Alberni Valley Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Response Plan (the Plan) to help prepare for the potential arrival of COVID-19.

The Plan aims to strengthen preparedness at the local level, both publically and within the two government organizations. “As local governments, our main role is to help provide accurate and timely information to the public, as well as protect our employees so that we can continue to provide and maintain services for our residents,” said Tim Pley, CAO for the City of Port Alberni.

Currently, the Public Health Agency of Canada has assessed the public health risk as low for Canada. As lead agencies for British Columbia, the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and the BC Ministry of Health are closely monitoring the situation and continually reassessing the risk level as new information becomes available.

Following the advice from the Ministry of Health and the BCCDC, residents are reminded and encouraged to take the following steps to stay healthy and prevent the spread of infections by:

• washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds;
• avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands;
• avoiding close contact with people who are sick;
• cough or sneeze into your sleeve and not your hands;
• staying home if you are sick to avoid spreading illness to others;
• remembering that diseases can make anyone sick, regardless of their race or ethnicity.

The City and ACRD will continue to monitor information provided by Federal and Provincial agencies and we encourage residents to do the same by regularly visiting these Federal and Provincial links:

• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Outbreak update
• Latest case counts on Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

We are committed to keeping the citizens of the Alberni Valley informed about any changes to the delivery of City or regional services as the COVID-19 issue evolves.

More information on prevention and risk can be found here: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Prevention and Risks 

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                                          FOR MORE INFORMATION
Tim Pley, CAO                                             Heather Zenner, Protective Services Manager
City of Port Alberni                                      Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District
250-720-2824                                             250-724-1356
timothy_pley@portalberni.ca                       hzenner@acrd.bc.ca