The State of Emergency in St. John’s was lifted this morning at 6:00 a.m. and Metrobus and GoBus will be back on the road as well.
However, to say that the capital city is back to normal would be a stretch. The 24-hour parking ban remains in place outside the designated downtown.
Mayor Danny Breen says many residential and collector streets have yet to be widened, and the sidewalks around school zones are being worked on. He wishes for drivers to reduce speed and allow for extra time to reach their destination.
Water street is clear and ready to go this morning. City crews are busy clearing the snow that remains. @VOCMNEWS @590VOCM pic.twitter.com/Q0Z3LIqYGa
— Richard Duggan (@RDugganVOCM) January 25, 2020
Metrobus and GoBus will be free from tomorrow until Febuary 7, and the mayor urges people to leave their cars home and try the bus.
If the stops and shelters are clogged with snow and may pose danger, riders can flag down the bus driver.
Because of narrow streets, there will be many detours in place. Customers can get that information through the website.
The City of St. John’s is focusing on getting the city cleaned up and under normal operations while ensuring the safety of the public.
Mayor Danny Breen is confident in the decision to lift the State of Emergency today.
Mayor Danny Breen:
“My biggest concern is public safety. Although we have lifted all restrictions outside the parking ban, many of our residential & collector streets have yet to be widened, and sidewalks around schools are still being worked on.”READ->https://t.co/1vkqcTSkNY
— City of St. John's (@CityofStJohns) January 24, 2020
He says there is work that is yet to be done. It has been challenging but crews have stayed on top of it the best they could.
Breen explains that there is no timeline. He says they continue to work hard until it is all done. He believes the city needs to start moving back to normal and they feel they are at a point where they can do that.
They are keeping an eye on the rain in the forecast for Monday.
The full release from the City with all the details.
Please, take your time and significantly reduce speeds when on the roads. @VOCMNEWS https://t.co/hbkuLyHpZY pic.twitter.com/oj8ChyTiwE
— Ben Murphy (@BenMurphy590) January 24, 2020
Deputy City Manager of Public Works, Lynnann Winsor, says the city has organized crews in over the weekend to start cleaning out catch basins in light of Monday’s rainy forecast.
She says with all the snow on the ground, drainage throughout the city will differ from regular patterns.
Winsor says they will be clearing out as many basins as they can but will have to react accordingly once the rain begins to fall.
Businesses Feeling the Effects
The Employers Council says the best thing for businesses in the metro region would be to get back to some sense of normalcy.
States of emergency in St. John’s and other municipalities have left many businesses without any stream of revenue for a long time during a period which is difficult enough in the best of times. Some employers don’t have the resources to pay their employees for time lost during the state of emergency.
Richard Alexander, executive director of the council, says some employers have been losing $100,000 a day.
He says they’re feeling an incredible amount of stress, not just for the short term but for the long-term viability of the business.
As N.L. cleans up from #Snowmageddon2020, small businesses will need support! Let's play Support Small Business Bingo…
Posted by Atlantic Business Magazine on Friday, January 24, 2020
Atlantic Business Magazine has come up with a way to bring inspiration when shopping local with a B.I.N.G.O. style card. The idea is to complete the tasks on the card by shopping at local businesses.
One of the many Facebook groups that has been created since the storm is Support Local – Post Storm 2020. Business owners have been posting specials and shopping information. The group had attracted about 700 members in a short time over the weekend.
Update on Schools Coming Sunday
The District has provided an update on the reopening of schools in St. John's Metro region.
More information available at https://t.co/FmMI1rfdJJ or direct here: https://t.co/58CPrXedsk#nlwx #YYTSOE pic.twitter.com/YYCGZID8qp
— NLESD (@NLESDCA) January 24, 2020
Other school systems have opened in some areas prior to the weekend but due to the State of Emergency, an update remains for many in the city.
.@NLPubLibraries will keep branches closed in @CityofStJohns and the metro area this weekend.
The only expection is @torbaynl Public Library.
Branches will be back to regular hours starting Monday, Jan 27th. #YYTSOE #nlwx #nltraffic
— Greg Smith (@RadioGregSmith) January 25, 2020
Eastern Health Operations
With the lift of the State of Emergency, Eastern Health operations and hours of operations will return to normal for all dialysis locations.
All patients will be booked into their regular treatment locations and should use their regular means of transportation to and from their appointments.
Courts to Return to Normal
Jury selection on Monday in St. John’s is going ahead as scheduled. Those who have received a summons for jury duty that have not been granted an exemption are required to attend.
It will be very busy in the first couple of days courts reopen following the SOE and everyone should expect some delays. The courts have contingency plans for these types of situations and those plans have been put into place. https://t.co/behwKK82lm for scheduling information
— Justice and Public Safety NL (@JPS_GovNL) January 24, 2020
Downtown is congested so people in that position may wish to be dropped off or use alternate parking. Traffic delays are expected on Monday.
Anyone who has questions can contact 1-888-830-5333.
