The doors are closing to the public at Chilliwack City Hall, Chilliwack Fire Department, and the Operations Centre on Luckakuck as of Thursday, March 19.
But City of Chilliwack staff can still be reached by phone, email or by virtual means as the COVID-19 crisis continues.
“Following direction from the province to adhere to social distancing requirements and to ensure enough staff remain available to continue the business of the city, the City of Chilliwack has made the difficult decision to temporarily close City Hall, Fire Department Reception and the Operations Centre to the public, effective March 19, 2020,” according to a news release.
It was a tough one.
“We have always prided ourselves on being accessible to the community, so closing our doors temporarily was a difficult decision based on the most up to date information we had available from health authorities,” said Mayor Ken Popove.
“We are also looking at measures to maintain social distancing between staff members to ensure business continuity.”
Citizens can check updates they’ll be posting on social media, and at chilliwack.com/covid19.
Deep cleaning of civic facilities will be undertaken during closures, as well as reminding staff to take precautions and limit face-to-face meetings, advising staff who feel unwell to stay home.
City officials are working on providing remote access tools for key staff should they need to work from home.
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Services through the MyChilliwack Information Portal at my.chilliwack.com will remain available.
Municipal Contact Information:
City Hall General Reception
Phone: 604-792-9311
Email: info@chilliwack.com
Operations Centre
Phone: 604-793-2810
After Hours: 604-792-2233
Email: operations@chilliwack.com
Chilliwack Fire Department Non-Emergency
Phone: 604-792-8713
Email: firedepartment@chilliwack.com
For all health-related concerns, please call 811 or 1-888-COVID-19 (1-888-268-4319) or text 604-630-0300.
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Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email:
jfeinberg@theprogress.com
@CHWKjourno
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