The mayor has officially declared a state of emergency for the City of Guelph.

According to a news release issued late Thursday night, Mayor Cam Guthrie made the decision following the declaration of an outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus at Guelph General Hospital earlier in the day.

The declaration is in effect immediately, and will remain in effect until further notice.

“I have not made this decision lightly. We need to take the advice of medical officials seriously and take bold, decisive action to flatten the curve and prevent further spread of COVID-19,” Guthrie states in the release.

“With this declaration, I implore all Guelph residents to be diligent about practicing safe physical distancing to protect our community’s health and well-being.”

In a video posted to his Twitter account, Guthrie adds that he has "both seen and heard from many members of the community that people are not taking physical distancing or self-isolation seriously, and this greatly disappoints me."

"This is a really clear signal that people need to stay home. We’ve closed what we can, and we’re relying on everyone in our community to do their part to slow this down,” Scott Stewart, the city’s chief administrative officer, adds in the same release.

“Don’t leave your homes unless you really need to. Shop for groceries once a week. Don’t go to the hardware store unless you’re there to get stuff for a home emergency. We’re all in this together.”

Under the declaration, Guthrie is able to make decisions and put plans in place that he considers necessary, so long as they do not violate the law, in order to "protect property and the health, safety and welfare of the inhabitants" of the city.