As the outbreak in China of a new strain of coronavirus continues to draw worldwide attention, the City of Greater Sudbury said it has convened its Emergency Preparedness Team to ensure local readiness.
The meeting included Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger and Public Health Sudbury & Districts’ medical officer of health, Dr. Penny Sutcliffe.
The risk of the novel coronavirus to Greater Sudbury is low, however, as part of emergency preparedness, meeting participants discussed proactive communications and public education strategies, and emergency response protocols in the event of changes to the current state, said a press release.
“In these types of situations, it’s important that we are proactive in our approach,” said Bigger, in the press release.
“We will continue to work closely with our partners in public health and the health-care sector to take appropriate steps to prepare and to inform the public. I am confident in the expertise of Dr. Sutcliffe, and public health and city staff to lead us through this. Residents can be assured that, although the risk remains low, we are ready and prepared to respond.”
The group will continue to meet regularly to reassess and determine actions, as needed.
“We are monitoring the situation in China and globally and are deeply saddened by the number of people who, tragically, have died from this illness and also by the number of people who remain ill,” said Sutcliffe, in the press release.
“Locally, while the risk remains low, existing systems and structures are leveraged to ensure we are prepared for an effective and comprehensive inter-agency response. There are practical steps people can take to prevent the spread of illness such as staying home when ill and washing their hands.”
As the situation evolves and our knowledge of the virus improves, the city and Public Health Sudbury & Districts are encouraging residents to ensure that their sources of information related to coronavirus are credible.
As the lead agency for public health emergencies in Greater Sudbury, Public Health Sudbury & Districts is the most accurate source of local and up-to-date information related to coronavirus.
Visit their website at www.phsd.ca/coronavirus.
Additional information, including links to related public health information, is available at greatersudbury.ca/publichealthresources.
