24 Feb 2022

Christchurch City Council has contingency plans in place to make sure essential services get delivered through the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak.

“Like all businesses across the country we are likely to experience high staff absenteeism as the rapid spread of COVID-19 cases forces people into self-isolation,’’ says Council Chief Executive Dawn Baxendale.

“We have prepared for this and we have good plans in place to ensure that we can continue to provide the essential services that our residents rely on. Our three waters services will continue as usual and people will still get their wheelie bins emptied.

“It is possible the rapid spread of COVID-19 may impact on the delivery of some non-essential Council services and on the opening hours of some of our public facilities.

“For example if we end up with high numbers of staff away at our libraries, sport and recreation centres, service centres, the Christchurch Art Gallery or Akaroa Museum we may need to temporarily close some of these facilities or reduce services or hours of operation.

“If we do need to do this, we will let residents know through our website, Newsline and social media. Please be aware it could happen at short notice. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

“Like everyone, we want things to get back to normal but in the next few weeks the priority is protecting the health and safety of our staff and our residents,’’ Mrs Baxendale says.