Hamilton City Council is asking the community to be patient and understanding in the face of the expected impact of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
As infection numbers increase, the flow-on effect of illness, isolation and disruption to supply chains is forcing cities around the world to change or suspend some services.
Council’s Chief Executive Lance Vervoort says that while New Zealand has been relatively lucky, Hamilton is also preparing to be hit hard by staff shortages and supply issues.
“Our focus is making sure our core Council activities including supply of water, treating wastewater and rubbish and recycling collection can continue the best they can as Omicron cases rise. We’ve seen trends overseas, where large numbers of staff are needing to isolate or are sick making it hard to continue services at a normal level,” Mr Vervoort says
“We’re doing everything we can to minimise this impact but recognise that there will be disruptions for the community.
“This is a changing and complex situation, but we are learning as much as we can from international experience and factoring that into our planning. Our absolute priority is to provide for the health and safety of our community and our staff.”
Council’s Infrastructure Response Manager Trent Fowles says we’re already starting to see the flow on impacts of Omicron cases.
“We have highly skilled, highly trained and experienced staff who can’t be replaced at the drop of a hat. Many core Council roles are specialised and require training or certification. These include roles at our laboratories, wastewater and water plants, and our City Delivery staff who work in confined spaces, with high-pressure systems, or with public health protocols for working on our water supply lines,” Mr Fowles says.
“We are already using separated staff bubbles to manage the risk of exposure, but this is causing delays in some areas. For three waters services in particular, we are already experiencing significant delays for new connections, but would like to assure Hamiltonians the team is still working hard to assess and prioritise incoming applications.
“While we have plans to work with our suppliers, contractors and other councils to share resources, we have to be aware they will likely be experiencing the same impacts of Omicron as we are.
“Further disruption to some services is likely, if not inevitable, but our teams are planning for every likely scenario to best manage this situation for everyone in Hamilton.”
Mr Vervoort says Hamiltonians can play their part in the city’s response.
“The best way to reduce the impact is to minimise the spread and severity of the virus. Wear a mask, maintain your physical distancing, use location scanning, keep up with your vaccinations and wash your hands. If we can slow or reduce the infection rate, we can spread the impact out over a longer period and make it more manageable. Everyone can play a part in how we control this for our families, our friends and our community.”