File photo of the sign outside of Lethbridge City Hall (Lethbridge News Now)

By Justin Goulet

Residents asked to ‘curb expectations’ on May 14 provincial reopening date

May 12, 2020 | 12:10 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – As Alberta gets set for stage one of its COVID-19 relaunch strategy, the City of Lethbridge is urging caution for businesses and residents.

Stage one of the economic relaunch could happen as early as May 14. The City says staff continue to seek clarity from provincial powers on when municipally run facilities could reopen.

With that said, Lethbridge Mayor Chris Spearman said residents should not expect a drastic change to the status quo when businesses start reopening.

“We know each stage will require careful evaluation in consultation with the provincial government and health experts,” Spearman said.

“We know this has been a challenging time for them [local businesses] all and their reopening will require modifications that may add additional challenges. Our support is vital at this time.”

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Spearman added that businesses looking for more details can visit the province’s ‘biz connect’ webpage at alberta.ca/biz-connect.

“Additionally, this address can be used for businesses and agencies to submit plans to open or host events for provincial review,” he said.

Since the provincial government announced the relaunch strategy on April 30, Lethbridge’s Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC) has been meeting with City departments and leaders to identify what could reopen, at what stage they could reopen and what resources would be needed for reopening.

READ MORE: Alberta announces phased economic relaunch strategy

“Many residents feel things are going to return to normal at this time. Again, they need to curb their expectations slightly. May 14^th is a suggested date. We want to make sure everything is safe for our citizens and our staff,” said Marc Rathwell, Director of Emergency Management for the City.

“We need to be very cautious as we reopen. We don’t want to have any gaps or have any spots where this virus can be transmitted. So, it’s super important we catch all those pieces before we open up a facility. We can’t stress [enough] the importance of that.”

Rathwell said residents need to keep up with hand washing and proper social distancing. He added all business units within the city require a reopening plan.

From the City of Lethbridge’s perspective, some of the municipally-run facilities being examined for stage one include museums and art galleries, summer camps that are operated by the City and additional outdoor recreational facilities such as disc golf, community gardens, tennis, pickle ball and basketball courts.

At this time, the City stated there is no official opening date for those amenities, but discussions are ongoing to decide on reopening strategies.

“Through all of our planning, we’re always in contact with the provincial government and with our Alberta Health Services liaison folks, so all of our plans get filtered through there,” Rathwell said.

“This whole situation, I want to remind folks, is a top-down run piece, the province is providing the guidelines and sort of the structure to us and the City then responds to those pieces.”

Rathwell noted that Alberta Health Services will be conducting inspections to ensure local businesses are operating safely and following all health guidelines.

He said as for reopening too soon, it’s not a question of too soon but rather of making sure people have a plan.

“It’s the folks that are going to rush ahead without putting the careful thought into it and making sure the plans are in place, those are the folks that have to be very concerned,” he said.

“Those are the folks that really have to take a moment and pause – and that’s the toughest thing to do when you want to get your business back going. I truly understand that but you have to take that pause and truly think of what you’ve set out, make sure that the plans are in place, that you’ve covered all the safety requirements whether it be for your staff or for your customers and that you’ve got an adequate plan in place.”

Mayor Spearman believes that the reopening should be somewhat uniform across the province, saying that people in communities whose openings aren’t as broad as somewhere like Lethbridge could come to the city and potentially expose others to COVID-19.

“I think that’s the type of leadership we need, is clear [reopening] dates that apply all across the province,” he said.

Spearman added Lethbridge is in a good position, but it’s important for citizens to realize that reopenings won’t just happen overnight.

“It might take some businesses a week before they can actually open and then they might need to train their staff to do things differently,” he said.

“This is not easy, and it does take a carefully planned approach.”

Spearman urged residents to celebrate the upcoming long weekend safely and partake in activities with people who live in the same household as them.

Rathwell also thanked nurses as part of National Nursing Week, praising all frontline healthcare workers during this difficult time. He said if, worse case scenario, a surge in cases was detected in Lethbridge, he would be able to reinstate local COVID-19 restrictions.

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