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By Abby Zieverink
Following Provincial Announcement

Grande Prairie mayor supportive of provincial COVID measures

Sep 3, 2021 | 5:05 PM

Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton is encouraging residents to follow the new measures that have been put in place by the Alberta government Friday, aimed at stemming the rise in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

Among those new temporary measures is a provincial mandatory mask mandate for indoor public spaces and a liquor curfew, meaning restaurants and bars will not be able to serve alcohol beyond 10 p.m. starting Saturday.

“Council strongly encourages community members to follow along with the newly announced measures, so that we can get the pandemic back under control,” Clayton said Friday.

“We don’t want to see increased measures, other than what was announced today.”

READ MORE: Mandatory masks indoors, $100 vaccine incentive among Alberta’s measures to curb COVID-19’s spread

Clayton says her overall thoughts on the provincial COVID update Friday was that it was a message to get vaccinated, as she says the Premier emphasized the impact unvaccinated people are having on the healthcare system and in the province.

“Their message today was really two-fold: let’s keep our healthcare system operating as efficient as possible, and the importance of vaccination across the province,” she said.

“Dr. Hinshaw and her team of medical experts have deemed these measures, such as vaccines, to be the best course of action to address the current surge in COVID cases, and we encourage residents to follow the provincial measures.”

Prior to the provincial announcement, Clayton penned a letter to Alberta’s Minister of Health, Tyler Shandro, on behalf of council, regarding their concerns over the Queen Elizabeth II hospital running overcapacity recently.

In the letter, she called on Shandro to provide clear guidance on a municipal response and plan. Clayton says she was glad to get some more clarity on the situation Friday during the province’s announcement.

“This at least lays out a plan for municipalities to support and go forward on,” Clayton said.

READ MORE: Mayor seeking answers from health minister on QEII staffing challenges, COVID response

Clayton’s letter also sought guidance from the health minister on how best to help the “unexpected staff vacancies” which have also led to the postponement of surgeries at the QEII Hospital, along with the spike in COVID patients.

“We’re optimistic to hear in the future from the minister on other points in our letter, such as recruitment and how we can support AHS in recruiting more professionals to the region.”

Clayton says council encourages residents to support each other through this period in effort to get out of the current measures, as soon as possible.

by Abby Zieverink