(file photo courtesy of paNOW)

By Troy Gillard

special meeting monday

City council asked to stick with current mask wearing status for Red Deer

Nov 14, 2020 | 12:34 PM

Red Deer city council is being asked to “stay the course” when it comes to mask wearing in the community to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

“The City of Red Deer hereby endorses the current face covering measures, placing enhanced emphasis on public communication related to masking and the Transit Face Covering Bylaw,” states one of the proposed resolutions in a nearly 300 page report to be discussed at a special council meeting Monday afternoon.

Red Deer has 94 active cases of COVID-19 as of Friday.

Wearing face coverings (masks) on Red Deer Transit became mandatory in August. But council at the time tabled a bylaw mandating them in other public areas in the city until such a time that provincial officials, namely the chief medical officer of health, expressed concern over the rising number of cases in the city.

(Source — Consolidated Report to Council: COVID-19 in The City of Red Deer)

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“At this time, Dr. Hinshaw, and the Government of Alberta as a whole, have not mandated the wearing of masks/face coverings provincially,” the administrative report to council notes, “though both continue to stress the importance of voluntary compliance when in public settings where distancing cannot be readily and consistently achieved.”

Council is being asked to pass a resolution on Monday calling on the provincial government to take the lead.

“The City of Red Deer will advocate to the Government of Alberta that COVID-19 related health restrictions be applied at the regional level, if not province-wide, in order to ensure greater consistency between proximal municipalities whose citizens are likely to travel to and from such municipalities and interact regularly,” the proposed resolution states.

Red Deer is subject to enhanced measures announced Thursday by the province, while Red Deer County and Sylvan Lake, for example, are not.

Administration is also asking council to pass a resolution calling for the province to provide “more timely and responsive communications” regarding COVID-19 before it’s shared with the public.

It’s also suggested that the City Manager update council monthly on the current state of COVID-19 in Red Deer, actions being taken to curb community transmission and on targeted communications measures within the community.

Council is also being asked to support plans for communicating with the community regarding the second wave of COVID-19.

Monday’s special meeting of city council begins at 1:30 p.m. You can watch it live through The City of Red Deer’s website.