COVID-19 preparation underway as New Zealand case numbers increase

Darren Petry from Taupō District Council

Taupō District Council has ramped up its contingency planning in the wake of the stricter border controls put in place by the Government yesterday to try and stem the spread of COVID-19 cases in New Zealand.

Chief executive Gareth Green said the council’s crisis management team had convened to consider the effect the Coronavirus could have on its operations, and plans were being put in place to ensure essential services would be kept operating should the community and council staff be widely affected.

“This is a rapidly changing situation and the time has come for us to start thinking about Coronavirus affecting how we operate,” he said. “It now seems it’s a matter of when, not if, we have some cases in our community.”

As a precaution, all non-essential council meetings and workshops were being cancelled if there were no urgent decisions needed to be made. Meetings scheduled for yesterday and later this week had been affected, and workshops planned for next Tuesday would also not take place. All business travel has been cancelled, both international and domestic.

“The only exception we have at this stage is the March full council meeting. We will ensure we have a quorum present in the Chamber to meet the rules set by legislation and invite the rest of the elected members to take part by phone,” said Mr Green. “In today’s environment, we can’t be too careful. The situation is changing day-by-day,” he said.

Following the Government’s directive yesterday afternoon for a cap of 500 people to be placed on mass gatherings and events, a number of events planned in the Taupō District have been cancelled. This includes the McQuilkin Cup due to be held today, Iron Maori which was planned for Saturday, EasterFest and Global Rapid Rugby.

“We will be keeping a watching brief on developments in the events space and our team will be working with event organisers on a case-by-case basis,” said Mr Green.

“In the meantime, we are urging our community where possible to conduct business via phone or email. We are also asking anyone who feels unwell to stay at home and avoid coming into our service centres or public facilities.

“The more we can limit visitors to our service centres and public facilities, the less likelihood there is of illness among our staff, and the wider community.”