WINDSOR — Several local municipalities are moving to remote council meetings amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Monday night, both Amherstburg and Kingsville councils, unanimously voted in favour of making the move as the County of Essex has agreed to covering the cost of hosting remote meetings.
It means councillors and the mayor would in their individual homes and connected via the internet, while the meetings are being live-streamed.
Amherstburg councillor Don McArthur says this is the most logical step right now.
"It's the smart and prudent thing to do," he says. "We could be in a situation where one or five or seven of us will have to self-isolate for 14-days. So it's just a smart and prudent step to take and the fact that the meetings are still live streamed I think is essential."
Kingsville councillor Kimberly DeYong says extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.
"Hopefully staff appreciates this too," she says. "They've done a really good job with protecting staff and protecting the town. I'm happy to second this and hopefully it's over quick and we don't have to live like this for very long."
Town officials note services are still available to the public via phone and email.
Amherstburg and Kingsville, along with most other local municipalities, will continue to live stream council meetings to allow residents to watch from home.