(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

level one

City reactivates Emergency Operations Centre in wake of COVID-19 outbreaks

Jul 27, 2020 | 4:41 PM

The City of Red Deer has reactivated its Emergency Operations Centre at ‘level one’ as of Monday.

This is not the same as a State of Local Emergency, but gives The City the ability to enhance its monitoring of the changing pandemic landscape in the region.

In a release, City officials say the EOC at level one allows for centralized communication, decision making and planning that will allow staff to be nimble and flexible to respond to this ever-changing situation.

Level one involves a small, dedicated team that focus on a number of key planning and communication objectives, the release adds.

Mayor Tara Veer characterizes reactivation as a development, adding that it comes partially in response to two outbreaks being announced in Red Deer last Friday.

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“Cases in the city’s jurisdiction continue to be relatively low, however we are very concerned with the region because regional numbers have implications for Red Deerians because we’re the regional hub and the primary referral centre with respect to hospital,” she tells rdnewsNOW. “Obviously it’s concerning that if case numbers are high in the region and those cases are repatriated to our hospital, that has impacts on potential exposure for our citizens.”

Veer also addressed growing calls for Red Deer to follow the lead of Edmonton and Calgary in implementing a mandatory mask bylaw for public spaces and transit. Those bylaws take affect August 1.

“We’re taking our cues from the chief medical officer of health. I think most municipalities would agree that health is a provincial jurisdiction, but the province has been clear that they’re not (going to do that), so they’ve delegated it to municipalities,” Veer remarks.

“It’s incumbent on each municipality to exercise due diligence on behalf of the community they serve and make a determination based on local context. If you look at Calgary and Edmonton, especially Calgary with the number of cases they’ve experienced, and their rate of escalation and rate of spread, they’re in a different circumstance than we are at this stage.”

Veer says The City and council reserve the responsibility to bring such a bylaw forward at any time if circumstances change for the worse.”

“If the rate of spread warrants that,” she says.

“All crises involve elements of both proactivity as well as reactivity. COVID-19 is a highly dynamic, public health situation and we rely heavily on the expertise of the Chief Medical Officer of Health and Alberta Health to provide guidance on issues such as mask wearing in public places,” adds Karen Mann, Emergency Management Coordinator.

“We are constantly assessing the situation locally, regionally, and provincially to determine the appropriate actions to mitigate risk and respond to emerging issues.”

As of Monday, the Central Zone now has 162 active cases, down five from Friday. Hospitalizations number 22, with four in ICU.

Red Deer has eight active cases of COVID-19 as of Monday’s update from the province.

An outbreak at Red Deer Regional Hospital announced Friday now involves three active cases, an increase of one, and at Waskasoo Kiwanis Towers where there remains two active cases.