Following Government guidance, Hamilton City Council has confirmed several new changes to its services while the country is at COVID-19 Alert Level 4.

Chief Executive Richard Briggs says the Government’s message has been extremely clear and now we all must do our part to get through the next four weeks.

“Our focus is primarily on the health and wellbeing of our community. To limit any community spread of COVID-19, we need to ensure people are not congregating in public spaces.

“We don’t want people in situations where they can’t safely maintain the two metres physical distance required at this time.”

Mr Briggs says residents don’t need to worry about whether they can access safe drinking water or other core services, and many of the Council’s other services will continue as they can be done by email or phone but with some changes.

“Where possible, the Council will be offering alternate ways of interacting with its staff to keep projects moving. Our planning for the future means we are well positioned for Government investment for economic support, and we have a team dedicated to this work. While we have had no choice but to suspend or change some of our services in the interim, we are mindful that the more we can keep progressing, the faster a recovery will be,” says Mr Briggs.

The Council is continuing to work on plans to assist our community and businesses, in conjunction with support from Government agencies and philanthropic organisations. Residents will still be able to talk to staff about any planning guidance, resource consents and licensing queries, which are often carried out online.

All Council staff who can perform their role from home have been doing so since last Friday (21 March) and some staff will be deployed into other areas of the business.

Other changes will include the Transport Centre building and the Garden Place Carpark closing to the public from Tuesday 24 March until further notice. There will also be a temporary suspension of all non-essential transport construction and maintenance activities across the city.

Residents can and should continue to seek assistance from the Council’s Customer Services team by phoning 07 838 6699 or emailing info@hcc.govt.nz.

For more information about what this means for Council services visit hamilton.govt.nz/covid-19

© Scoop Media