Vegreville News Advertiser - November 25, 2020

Premier Jason Kenney Declares State of Public Health Emergency

New mandatory public health measures have been put in place in communities across Alberta to protect the health system and slow the spread of COVID-19.

Kenney said that while face masks play an important role they are not a silver bullet, however masks will be mandatory in all indoor workplaces in Edmonton and Calgary and surrounding communities. The only municipality in our region currently under the enhanced status is Smoky Lake County which has 67 active cases.

On November 23 Vegreville Town Council discussed a proposed face coverings bylaw that will be brought back for further review at its next meeting.

Under the proposed bylaw, it would require people to wear a face covering at all times while in an indoor, enclosed or substantially enclosed public place or in a public vehicle. As far as signage, an employer or proprietor of a business must prominently display a sign in a location that is visible to a person immediately upon entering the public place or a public vehicle. Failure to wear a face covering where required has a specified penalty of $100 and failure to display prescribed signage has a specified penalty of $200.

Other mandatory restrictions the Province has implemented in areas with Enhanced Status include no indoor social gatherings in any setting, and outdoor gatherings would be restricted to 10 people. Wedding and funeral services, maximum of 10 people, no receptions are permitted. The only municipality in our region currently under the enhanced status is Smoky Lake County which has 67 active cases.

No festivals or events will be allowed. Places of worship at 1/3 of normal attendance in Calgary, Edmonton and enhanced areas.

There will be restricted access to some businesses and services starting November 27. Some businesses will be open by appointment only. A complete list is published on the Government of Alberta’s COVID- 19 website.

At home learning for students in Grades 7-12 will begin November 30 and go until January 11. Grades K-6 at home learning will begin December 18 and go until January 11.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Alberta stands at 49,536 with 1,115 cases on Nov. 23. The number of recovered cases are 35,695 and the number of active cases are 13,349. A total of 492 deaths have been reported. There are 348 people in hospital and 66 people in intensive care.

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