Tony Fox is one of the Rotorua Lakes Council's emergency team members helping people during alert level 4. Photo / Supplied
Responding to requests for support is a key focus for Rotorua Lakes Council's Emergency Operations Centre.
The council's welfare team is working with iwi and other agencies in the community to ensure Rotorua's most vulnerable people are cared for, the council said in a statement.
This has involved a joint
effort with the Salvation Army to deliver food and essential items to those most in need in the community.
Tony Fox is one of our Welfare team members, who has been delivering this service to tenants in pensioner housing throughout Alert Level 4.
Fox is a member of council's Property Services Team, which looks after all of council's buildings including council pensioner flats.
He is one of 47 council staff who during the Covid-19 lockdown have been pulled out of their normal work to be part of the council's Emergency Operations Centre, which is part of the national emergency response system.
• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website
The council centre's main focus has been on providing welfare assistance, which has included delivery of essential goods to local pensioners.
This has meant that people who do not have family or friends nearby who could safely get these items for them have been able to stay safe and in their homes during these difficult few weeks, and have not gone without food and other essential items.
The centre's welfare function manager Linda Johnston said the elderly were resilient people usually.
"However, under lockdown a few needed some additional assistance with things such as shopping.
