In mid-March, as we started to receive news of reports from China and Europe, COVID 19 began to be a worry for us as with everyone around the world. With confusing and varying counts of the situation and how it may grip the world, we were uncertain of the risks involved, which was indeed scary.
As a proactive measure, the SISSIP Network team took steps to stay safe and ensure the safety of their stakeholders. We moved out Network meetings on March 17th an 18th to a virtual platform, these were planned ahead of time and expected close to 20 people in attendance. The picture above depicts the team at PICS leading the meeting from the boardroom through Zoom, with physical distancing and masks in place.
Shortly afterwards, lockdown measures were announced by the BC Government. All staff have been working from home since, through virtual platforms to stay connected to the Network, Neighbourhood Action Committee members and other stakeholders.
This has been challenging in some ways. The in-person interactions cannot be replaced but at the same it allows for greater flexibility.
We hope everyone is staying safe. These are indeed unprecedented times!