County gets update on operations during COVID-19

By Ron Giofu

Essex County council got an update on its operations as to how they are faring due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Various county departments updated elected officials and the public during the August 19 online meeting. While some have experienced their share of challenges, there were some positive notes as well.

Director of council and community services/clerk Mary Birch noted the county was fortunate that they had already started to conduct business via electronic means and it wasn’t a large task to switch to meetings via Zoom.

“It was a fairly easy transition to do this,” said Birch.

Birch added there will be a report coming to county council in September regarding amending the procedural bylaw to allow members to participate electronically if they so choose when the pandemic is lifted.

Director of infrastructure services/ county engineer Jane Mustac noted there were delays in some projects due to COVID-19 but said other projects were able to be completed early due to less traffic.

Jayne Brooks-Keller, administrator at the Sun Parlour Home in Leamington, said COVID-19 has been “a huge learning curve for absolutely everyone.”

“I think we’ve all learned a universal truth. It really did change the world,” she said. “We’re not done yet. Everything continues to evolve on a daily basis.”

Mandatory use of personal protective equipment (PPE) was a challenge for both staff and residents, she added, and Keller stated another challenge with constantly changing directives from the province early on.

Essex-Windsor EMS chief Bruce Krauter also noted PPE challenges, pointing out paramedics had to use PPE on all calls. He noted off-load delays at area hospitals actually decreased due to people simply not wanting to go to the hospital due to concerns over COVID-19. He noted call volumes declined 35 per cent from March 1 to mid-April but have steadily increased since.

Despite being on the front lines, Krauter noted they have yet to have a paramedic test positive for COVID-19.

Director of financial services/county treasurer Sandra Zwiers noted 75 people started to work from home and the county’s IT department had to help with that transition. She reported the county suffered no loss of continuity or business.

Zwiers noted there was also an impact as it pertains to temporary pandemic pay.

“The estimated total payout for TPP is approximately $1.8 million and is 100 per cent recoverable from the province,” she reported.

Warden Gary McNamara praised the work of Sun Parlour Home and Essex-Windsor EMS staff for their work and later extended that to all county employees for their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.