By rdnewsNOW staff

standing down

City deactivates COVID-19 Emergency Operations Centre

Jun 25, 2020 | 2:35 PM

Following 101 consecutive days of activation, The City of Red Deer has deactivated its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) as its municipal relaunch strategy from the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

“This is the longest EOC activation we’ve had in the last 15 years, and potentially beyond that,” said Karen Mann, The City’s Emergency Management Coordinator. “It was an important centralized coordination tool in our municipal response to the pandemic and it allowed us to make decisions quickly with all the necessary voices at the table.”

The decision to deactivate the Emergency Operations Centre comes one week after The City’s State of Local Emergency (SOLE) lapsed on June 14.

City officials say the EOC and SOLE allowed The City of Red Deer to make decisions and implement policy in response to the evolving pandemic.

“We are at the point in our municipal relaunch where we no longer require a dedicated emergency operations team for centralized decision making,” said Mayor Tara Veer. “But we want to be very clear. The deactivation of emergency operations and the lapse of our State of Local Emergency does not mean we are out of the woods when it comes to COVID-19 and potential risk. This is still an active and serious situation and we need to remain as vigilant as ever to ensure the number of confirmed cases in Red Deer and central Alberta remains low.”

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The City says it will continue to closely monitor the pandemic and follow recommendations and guidelines set out by Alberta Health and the Chief Medical Officer of Health.

The City’s Emergency Operations Centre can be reactivated and the State of Local Emergency renewed if the situation warrants. Residents are urged to follow all Alberta Health guidelines and public health orders including physical distancing and restrictions on mass gatherings, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

(The City of Red Deer)