Organization: Town of Orangeville Location: Orangeville, ON Title of Entry: “Open Orangeville — COVID-19 Recovery Plan” Category: Digital Marketing | Marketing, Digital | 7c. COVID-19 Digital Response ($175)

When the Covid pandemic hit last spring, countries scrambled to create an action plan to slow, if not stop, the spread. Part of the burden was thrust upon local governments and towns –some handled it well, others not so much. Orangeville, Canada is a town of 30,000 in South Central Ontario, just north of Toronto. Municipal leadership acted early and quickly. Orangeville created a blueprint to support slowing the virus, to cushion the blow for businesses, and to share public health information with the community. The plan instituted several phases starting with closings and then measured steps for re-openings. As of December 1, Orangeville reported only eight active cases, which equates to 26 cases per 100,000; that’s a rate of .00026. The town so far has progressed toward its goal encapsulated in its mission statement: “We will emerge with businesses positioned not just to recover from this pandemic, but to thrive.”