WESTLOCK/CLYDE — The Westlock area has recorded another seven COVID-19 cases since Nov. 4.
Village of Clyde CAO Ron Cust confirmed this evening during a council meeting via Zoom that some of those cases are in the village but didn't say exactly how many.
"It's really about no visiting between each other's households, even, it's about being really lowkey," said Cust, repeating the advice Dr. Deena Hinsahw, Alberta's chief medical officer, offered Albertans in her regular press conference earlier in the day.
Village to draft mask bylaw
After a heated exchange between councillors that forced Cust to call protocol, they decided to draft a mask bylaw for the village while they continue to monitor.
"I am not fully satisfied with us not having a (mask) bylaw ... This epidemic has spread a lot more than when it started out in the spring, and it's spreading quite violently and quicky. I just think a mask bylaw would be OK, because even today we noticed a group of people in a car, probably five or six. We're not going to stop it that way, but we can't be too lenient as to protecting ourselves and our neighbours," said Coun. Nat Dvernichuk.
"I still honestly think we should be wearing masks. That's my opinion, that's my thoughts on it. ... We have to buckle down and try to beat this thing before it beats us."
Cust had told council that "it's not necessary to go to the next step pertaining to the mask bylaw," and they could "beat" COVID-19 with common sense. The Village of Clyde office does require masks indoors, and so does the post office.
Mayor Christa Clausing agreed that things are getting worse, but suggested they monitor until December. For Coun. Danielle Dillman, "It's up to people to have more common sense" to wear masks or ask others to wear them.
"If I had known what I know now, I would have been a lot better about asking people to wear masks," she said.
But Dvernichuk insisted: "We will have that bylaw as far as I'm concerned. ... I have every lung disease you can think of, and it's not just about me, it's about everyone else.
"Everybody keeps talking about the costs, I'd like to talk about the savings: the savings would be in lives," Dvernichuk said in response to concerns about the cost of enforcing the potential bylaw.
Local case counts delayed
Last week, Dr. Hinshaw explained that updates to the reporting system delayed daily local case updates, so the most recent numbers for Westlock could have been people who tested positive between then and Nov. 8.
This brings the total recorded cases for Westlock County, the Town of Westlock and Clyde to 44. Only 13 are active and 31 have recovered. No COVID-19 casualties have been recorded in the Westlock area.
Dr. Hinshaw continues to call the rising numbers troubling, and last week, premier Jason Kenney urged Albertans to limit social gatherings at home.
In the last 24 hours, 644 people tested positive, which brings the total active cases in the province to 7,965; of those, 3,175 are in Edmonton. COVID-related hospitalizations climbed to 192, and 39 people are in ICU.
The death toll in Alberta has reached 369.
