12 Aug 2020

Christchurch City Council has been preparing for a change in COVID-19 alert levels for some time and has measures in place to help protect public health.

“Whilst we hoped it would not happen, we have been very conscious that COVID-19 may reappear in the community at some point . We have been preparing for the possibility of a change in alert levels. We have procedures in place to ensure that we keep both our residents and our staff safe,’’ says Acting Mayor Andrew Turner.

Acting Mayor Andrew Turner.

“This is an event we were well prepared for and we have detailed plans in place for how we can continue to provide services to our residents while still adhering to the Government’s health advice.

“All our facilities remain open and essential services, including rubbish and recycling, will continue to be provided as normal,’’ Acting Mayor Turner says.

“We will be using the Government’s contact tracing app at all Council facilities. Staff will be on hand to help people with this and manage numbers of people entering facilities.

“If you are visiting one of our facilities you may notice staff wearing masks. This is in in line with the Government’s advice that masks should be warn in situations where physical distancing may not be possible,’’ Acting Mayor Turner says.

“All our parks and playgrounds remain open but Council staff will be keeping a close eye on numbers of people  at popular parks, like the Margaret Mahy Family Playground, to ensure social distancing requirements can be met.

“Our sports grounds will also stay open under Alert Level 2 and it will be up to the individual sports codes to determine whether their games can proceed this weekend.

“If you or your child is scheduled to play sport this weekend, please check with your sporting code’s website for information about whether games are going ahead,’’ Acting Mayor Turner says.