WESTLOCK — Premier Jason Kenney declared a state of public health emergency in Alberta yesterday, shuttering indoor social gatherings, sports, concert venues and restricting several other activities for three weeks.
Social gatherings are the biggest problem and “must stop now,” Kenney said. No indoor gatherings are allowed, and outdoor ones are limited to maximum 10 people.
“It is not a preference, this is just a reality,” he said, and the measure applies across the entire province.
Fines range from $1,000 for ticketed offences and up to $100,000 in the courts. Kenney said they are looking at ways to allow peace officers to enforce the new measures.
The social gathering ban doesn’t apply to childcare or home care. All measures will be reevaluated mid-December.
Banquet halls, concert and conference venues were also mandated to close. Weddings and funerals are restricted to 10 people in attendance, but no receptions are allowed.
The one-third capacity recommendation for places of worship in enhanced measures zones is now mandatory, and masks must be worn while attending a service, which Kenney said “balances freedom of religion and public health.”
Sports to stop
In regions under enhanced measures, all sports are banned. Exemptions can be granted to leagues with “exceptional” COVID-19 measures in place. This measure was already in place for the Edmonton and Calgary areas, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge and Red Deer since Nov. 13.
There have been nine outbreaks at amateur hockey games since sports re-started, Kenney said.
Town of Westlock CAO Simone Wiley says new measures for the town’s facilities will be announced tomorrow.
“We’re having a task force meeting this afternoon that’s comprised of all our departments and a couple of council representatives and having those discussions to react to the items that are effective on Friday, because they do have impact on the Spirit Centre. The Aquatic Centre, not so much because we were already limiting quite a bit there,” said Wiley earlier this afternoon.
Swimming lessons and aquafit classes will have to be cancelled as well. So will any group fitness activities, although they can continue via Zoom provided only instructors are in the room, said health minister Tyler Shandro.
Both the Interlock minor hockey league and the Black Gold ringuette league cancelled their games but continued to practice after the Nov. 13 announcement because some teams are based in Edmonton.
Retail limited, hair salons and restaurants can stay
Retail businesses have been restricted to 25 per cent of occupancy limits. Tipton’s Independent grocery store in Athabasca was already enforcing that limit — and so were other franchises across Alberta — and the new announcement won’t impact them.
Blair Kneller, owner of Home Hardware in Westlock, told the News he’s not too worried about the new limit.
“Our 25 per cent capacity is about 30 people (on the main floor and 25 downstairs). … I don’t think we’ve ever had that other than Ladies’ Night and other special events, so I don’t think it’ll affect us too much,” said Kneller.
They’ll be counting customers, but this year presents a new situation for Kneller and his employees, especially with the holidays around the corner.
“It’s hard to say, with people not going to the city and shopping local more, what our numbers are going to be like but we’ve very rarely hit that number on a normal day, even at Christmas, in the store at one given time.”
However, he says, this might affect small stores more than his.
Restaurants, bars and lounges can stay open, but will have to close at 11 p.m. Only members of the same household can dine together, up to six people per table. Shandro said that those who live alone can sit at the same table with no more than the two people in their cohort.
Service-based businesses like hair salons, wellness, and other professional services are limited to appointment only.
“We’ve got to find little bits of positive development and good news here,” said Kenney. No known case of transmission has occurred in a hair salon.
Mask rules a patchwork in the area and province
In the Edmonton and Calgary zones — includes the cities and the communities around them — masks are now mandatory in the workplace.
Some municipalities, Edmonton and Calgary included, have been calling for a province-wide mask mandate, and so has Westlock mayor Ralph Leriger.
“All of this should’ve been a provincial responsibility to begin with, with instructions. Leaving it to the municipalities to begin with was not appropriate, but we picked up the ball when we had to,” said Leriger earlier today.
Mask bylaws across the Town & Country area—and across the province—are somewhat of a patchwork because of that.
Town of Westlock councillors instituted a mask bylaw Oct. 28, when the area was placed on the Alberta Health Services watch list — all those zones have been under enhanced measures since Nov. 13.
“All I can do is stay within my sphere of influence and look after our community as best I can, and that’s what we’ve done,” Leriger said.
Westlock County isn’t yet thinking about a bylaw. Reeve Jared Stitsen said earlier this month that there aren’t many places where it would apply in their jurisdiction. Village of Clyde councillors, however, asked for one to be drafted after they learned of confirmed COVID-19 cases there.
Currently, there are 17 active cases in the Westlock area.
The Town of Barrhead also has a mask bylaw but it’ll only be activated if the area is placed on the AHS watch list with 10 or more active cases and a rate of 50 cases per 100,000 people. There are seven active cases in Barrhead.
In Athabasca, councillors agree with Leriger that masks should’ve been mandated province-wide.
Both the Town of Athabasca and Athabasca County had their mask bylaws activated on Sunday, when they passed the threshold; the entire area, including the Village of Boyle, has 15 active cases. They had followed the same system as Barrhead and passed the bylaws only last week.
The Village of Boyle, however, chose to do an education campaign instead.
Kenney renewed the call for working from home, and announced the government is moving to remote work in the next few days.
“The hard fact is this: transmission at offices continues to be a main reason for spread,” said Kenney.
No diplomas, teens go home early
Students in Grades 7-12 will begin at-home learning next Monday, Nov. 30. Younger students will stay in school until Dec. 18, when all kids go on winter vacation.
At R.F. Staples School in Westlock, this applies to the entire school population.
“My staff did an amazing job getting ready last March and they’re prepared to give a full course offering and I think they’re ready this time,” said principal Wayne Rufiange.
“Obviously, there’s a little more preparation and some of the things they had prepared for the classroom now has to be adapted to be online. It’s trying to figure out which students can do the online, which would need print resources. It’s not the same as being in the classroom, but we’ll make it work the best we can.”
Prep time for the move to online, however, doesn’t exactly mirror March. When schools were closed then, Rufiange explained, students didn’t come to school at all. Now, teachers and staff have to adjust for next Monday while teaching in-person.
The return date for the second semester has been delayed to Jan. 11 for all students, but Rufiange clarified they will still start school Jan. 4, only online.
Teenagers are more likely to spread the virus, Kenney said, and a longer time away from school will help reduce transmission.
Childcare centres are not affected, and they can continue normal operations.
Shandro also announced that diplomas will be optional this year. Rufiange told the News the sitting last June was cancelled, and the most recent November one was also optional. The new announcement applies to the January sitting, and most likely the April and June ones too.
Andreea Resmerita, TownandCountryToday.com
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect local reactions to the new measures announced yesterday.
