By Shaun Penner

Keep Calm says Given

Mayor not surprised, urging calm as COVID-19 comes to Grande Prairie

Mar 20, 2020 | 7:34 PM

Mayor Bill Given is not surprised by the fact that Grande Prairie now has two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the community.

Following Friday’s announcement that two cases of the novel coronavirus have been confirmed in Grande Prairie, Given says this doesn’t change the approach the city, or its residents are already taking.

“This is something that we completely expected, given the way we have seen the virus move across the world,” said Given. “We know that Grande Prairie isn’t immune to this, the Peace Country is not, and we expect that there will be more cases in the future.”

“That shouldn’t surprise anyone.”

He adds that this is why the City, and soon after the Grande Prairie Regional Emergency Partnership (GPREP), declared a state of local emergency on Wednesday, as to be proactive and prepare for the inevitable.

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Given notes that GPREP is in constant communication with Alberta Health Services, and is always preparing for next steps, should they be needed.

In the meantime, he says residents should remain calm and continue to practice good social distancing. But, at the same time, continue to check in on loved ones.

“We have heard a lot of challenging, sometimes scary news over the last little while. This may feel like that just adds to it.” said Given. “That can add a lot of anxiety for people and we should, first off, take a deep breath and recognize this was not unexpected. But then after we have managed to calm ourselves down, we should check in on others. Make sure they are doing well, as well.”

As of March 20, there are now 195 cases of the novel coronavirus in Alberta, with a total of 17 in the North zone. That includes four in the High Prairie area and three in the Slave Lake area.

As of Friday’s update, no confirmed cases had been reported in areas directly surrounding Grande Prairie like Beaverlodge, the County or Peace River.