Mayo County Council chief executive Peter Hynes has urged the county to 'stay safe but stay strong.'
The CEO addressed Monday's meeting of Mayo County Council where he paid tribute to the efforts of the HSE, the Government, and his own staff during the Covid19 pandemic.
“There is nothing like a crisis to test how good a team is and I'd like to say that I am extremely proud of the staff of this council,” said Mr Hynes.
He said the role of the council in this testing time is 'to keep the lights on and do it safely' and also support the HSE and other agencies in the fight against the pandemic.
Mr Hynes said council staff, working on a voluntary basis, built a contract tracing centre within 48 hours in the council campus. A total of 80 staff have been trained and are set to be called into action next Monday.
The Testing Centre at Lough Lannagh has been provided by the council and Lough Lannagh Holiday complex has been offered as an accommodation/isolation centre for healthcare workers.
The council executive expressed concerns about the scale of the Covid-19 outbreak in Mayo, particularly in residential care facilities, stating: “We have new hot spots in the north of the county. This is a major concern, as is the age profile of our community and the large number of residential care and retirement facilities, both public and private throughout the county."
Mr Hynes said that should some restrictions be lifted, the council hopes to get its roadworks scheme back on track.
It was also planned for Mayo Day to take place 'virtually' on Saturday, May 2.
“This year above any year it's going to be even more important that we make those connections. We're going to have to make connections not only across the globe like we always do but across the road to our neighbours and people in the community. This is an opportunity to fly the Mayo flag online,” said Mr Hynes.
