(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

pandemic not over

Red Deer’s State of Local Emergency expiring not time to change habits: City official

Feb 3, 2022 | 3:43 PM

A State of Local Emergency (SOLE) for the city of Red Deer will lapse on Feb. 15.

Officials with The City says it will be allowed to lapse, “given the forecasted stabilization of the public health system in the upcoming weeks.”

Specifically, declining active COVID-19 cases and positivity rates give the City confidence this is the right decision, one made unanimously by the Emergency Advisory Committee (Mayor Johnston, plus councillors Buruma and Wyntjes) on the recommendation of the Emergency Operations Centre.

Ken McMullen, acting general manager of the City’s Development and Protective Services department, implores Red Deerians to not take this as a signal that the pandemic is over locally.

“We took an aggressive approach implementing this back in September so that we could react very nimbly if we had to and if things were to change in the region,” he says. “We don’t see those same pressures on us today that we did then.”

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If the province were to lift its mask mandate, it would expire in Red Deer also because the City linked its own mask mandates to the province’s last year, and the same goes for the Restrictions Exemption Program.

The latest stats from Alberta Health show positivity rates have plateaued between 35 and 40 per cent on a day-to-day basis, with active cases dropping at a slower rate over the last few days, following a sharp decline from pandemic record highs locally and provincially.

McMullen emphasizes that the most key figures — hospitalizations and ICU admissions — haven’t surged like they have in the past.

In Red Deer, the active case count increased on Wednesday and again slightly on Thursday, for the first time since Jan. 20 — from 895 to 914, then to 923 cases.

The fifth wave appears to have peaked for Red Deer at a local record 1,380 active cases on Jan. 18. The fourth wave peaked on Sept. 27 at a then-record 915 active cases. There have been just three deaths in Red Deer since Dec. 7 though all have come in the last week. COVID ICU admissions at Red Deer Regional have remained relatively low for a number of weeks.

The SOLE was originally declared on Sept. 17, 2021 in response to a fourth wave surge in cases. It was renewed for up to 90 days in mid-November.

The City no longer requires additional powers and resources provided under the SOLE to respond to the pandemic. These powers include the need to acquire three quotes (RFPs) before making major equipment purchases, such as for masks, as well as the ability to redeploy staff on less than two weeks’ notice in order to maintain essential services.

The EOC will continue to monitor the evolving situation and work with community partners to provide supports and recommendations as required, the City says.