AHS has determined that Westlock case of COVID-19 occurred outside of region

After months of no cases showing up in the community, a Town of Westlock employee recently tested positive for COVID-19.

In a news release posted to the Town of Westlock website on Aug. 5, it was revealed the employee received word of their positive test result while working at the Westlock Rotary Spirit Centre on Aug. 1.

The release states that upon receiving this news, the employee immediately vacated the building and went into self-isolation for further follow-up from Alberta Health Services (AHS).

AHS has determined that the contagion did not occur when the employee, who was asymptomatic and not displaying any signs of the virus, was in a Town of Westlock facility.

Indeed, it was later explained in another release posted to the website on Aug. 6 that the employee underwent a test because they had been travelling outside of the Westlock region.

After the employee left, the Spirit Centre was closed so that all areas the employee had been in could be disinfected.

Simone Wiley, CAO of the Town of Westlock, said the employee was only at work for a few hours and there were only two other employees in the facility at the same time. Regardless, the other employees are still being tested for the virus.

“We’re still taking precautions,” she said.

When asked about other visitors to the building, Wiley said there were only four individuals in the facility at the same time the employee was there.

While it is up to AHS to conduct contact tracing, she said the Town of Westlock nevertheless reached out to those four individuals to notify them of the contagion, so that they may be tested if they wish.

Since the town broke the news on Aug. 5, Wiley said the Westlock Rotary Spirit Centre has received a number of calls and there has been some criticism that the town waited as long as it did to inform the public.

She said the reason we waited is because they wanted to make sure they had all the information needed to put out a release. As well, they had to wait for clearance from AHS before putting out anything.

Nevertheless, this is why the town posted a second release on Aug. 6 containing more details about the incident, Wiley said.

There has also been some concern expressed by parents about the safety of the children in the Town of Westlock’s summer program.

However, she said the children utilize a separate entranceway at the facility where the infected employee does not work, and the children and summer staff are contained within an isolated section of the Spirit Centre.

“We are confident in the preventative measures already in place and will continue to follow AHS guidelines to maintain the safety of the children and staff,” the website states.

In any case, Wiley said this incident is a good reminder of the need for vigilance and that COVID-19 is going to be with us for months to come.

 Athabasca cases

On Aug. 6, a third active case of COVID-19 was identified within Athabasca County, according to the geospatial map that lists all active cases maintained by the Alberta government.

Two more cases were previously identified within the municipality on Aug. 4. That brings the total number of cases within Athabasca County since the pandemic began to seven.

As of Monday, Aug. 10, there are also two active cases in Thorhild County to the south and nine active cases within nearby Smoky Lake County.

Kevin Berger, TownandCountryToday.com

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