Photo by Shaun Penner

By Curtis Galbraith

COVID-19

County of Grande Prairie put on provincial COVID-19 watch status

Oct 27, 2020 | 10:26 PM

The County of Grande Prairie has sent out a statement from Reeve Leanne Beaupre as the County has now been placed under a provincial watch status for COVID-19.

This status is put in place once a municipality passes the 50 cases per 100,000 people threshold.

The watch status also includes the Village of Hythe and the Towns of Beaverlodge, Wembley and Sexsmith as any communities with fewer than 10,000 people are included.

The County area currently has 19 active cases, while another 67 people have recovered.

Watch status does not mean additional health measures will be implemented, but it does indicate the province is talking with local officials to see if such measures might be needed.

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The statement says, “While there is no mandatory mask or face covering bylaw in place in the County of Grande Prairie, we encourage everyone to review the City of Grande Prairie’s Mask Bylaw and follow any regulations that are put in place in our neighbouring municipalities. We will continue to follow the Province’s lead, including Alberta Health Services (AHS) guidelines to help slow and prevent the spread of COVID-19. “

The statement goes on to say, “As COVID-19 continues to be a risk in our Province, and our area is clearly no exception, we remind everyone to use the tools at their disposal to help prevent the spread, including washing hands regularly and thoroughly, staying home when sick, covering coughs and sneezes, social distancing, and wearing a mask or face covering when deemed appropriate by the Province.”

The County adds that residents should follow the Province’s guidelines to monitor for symptoms and get tested if needed.

COVID-19 testing is available for anyone with symptoms, and anyone who has no symptoms but is a close contact of a confirmed case or linked to an outbreak. The County says testing is an essential step to take to help keep our communities safe.

“The past few months have been very stressful for many, and there is still uncertainty of what is yet to come,” said Beaupre. “We can take pride in how we have managed to minimize the spread of COVID-19 so far, and that is due to the concerted effort of everyone in our community. By coming together in cooperation and respect, we hope to see our numbers decrease for the wellbeing of our community.”

More information from the province on COVID-19 can be found here.