Photo Courtesy of Bob Schneider

By Chris Brown

City COVID-19 update

City won’t restrict residents from leaving the city

Apr 28, 2020 | 2:29 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The city’s director of emergency management says that Hatters need to resist the temptation to let down their guard as the weather warms up.

“This is not the time to relax our measures,” said Merrick Brown. “In fact this is the time we need to be extra vigilant with our own actions.”

Brown said he’s heard from Hatters who want the city to stop letting people leave Medicine Hat.

“We will not, nor should we be, restricting residents from leaving the city,” he said. “We must start looking at our own actions to prevent the spread rather than others. Things like physical distancing, handwashing, staying at home when you’re sick will prevent the spread. Restricting somebody from leaving the city will not prevent the spread.”

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Hosting or attending garage sales are typical rites of spring, but Brown said those are not responsible decisions. He said it’s simply not practical for anyone to be able to ensure physical distancing and proper handwashing, and that every item that is touched is immediately sanitized.

Brown also touched on two more signs of spring – construction and flooding.

He said construction activity will be ramping up, and that procedures are in place to make sure local workers are following the public health guidelines. That won’t always be possible though, he explained, because in some instances two people are critical to the workers’ safety.

He pointed to working on a powerline as one example, because of the “immediate and traumatic effect that can happen to the one worker.”

Brown also said pre-emptive flood measures will be put in place soon. This includes filling sandbags, deploying temporary measures and assembling temporary measures in some locations.

“We are not doing this because we are going to have a flood. We’re doing this because this is going to take us longer to actually assemble these measures so we’re going to start early. We’re doing this out of an abundance of caution.”

Mayor Ted Clugston thanked residents for doing their part during the pandemic and asked everyone to continue to follow the public health guidelines. He also reminded Hatters that the response is not being led by the City of Medicine Hat. The city’s role is a supportive one, helping make sure people are following the provincial and federal rules.

“Provincially this a health emergency not a municipal emergency. This is a worldwide emergency not a municipal emergency,” he said. “We’re asking the residents to respect that if you don’t agree with what’s going on that this is a provincial emergency.”