Mayor Dave Jaworsky has declared a State of Emergency for the City of Waterloo as the community continues to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In unison with municipalities across the region, I am declaring a State of Emergency for the City of Waterloo. Our community is united in its efforts to deal with the impacts of COVID-19. A great deal has changed in the last few days – the number of cases continues to grow, the province has ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses, and schools will not be reopening on April 6 as first thought. I believe the State of Emergency is warranted and will support physical distancing. This declaration is supported by my council colleagues and city management.

We need to flatten the curve. I implore all residents to please follow the direction of our Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang.

Declaring a State of Emergency increases the City’s ability to share resources, personnel and equipment to respond and support the broader public sector and key services. It also allows the City to use and support volunteers to assist with providing critical services if needed.

All decisions we make going forward are through the lens of community safety and wellness. We can and we must stop the spread of this COVID-19 virus. We must all do our part. This can’t all be left to our hard working healthcare workers and first responders – all of whom are true heroes and doing an amazing job. The message is clear – if you’ve travelled out of Canada recently you must stay home in self-isolation for 14 days, so to those returning residents, please stay home.

I am proud of the City of Waterloo team, who have shown great dedication and leadership during this unprecedented situation as they continue to deliver critical services to our community.

Let’s protect our family, friends and community. We’re all in this together, and when we join together as Canadians, we’ve shown that great things can happen”, Mayor Dave Jaworsky.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Tony Iavarone

Director of Communications

City of Waterloo

519-998-9777