Two Brooks residents chat on the street Monday as the city reopens many of the service sector businesses as part of the provincial Stage 1 relaunch. (CHAT News photo).

By Alex McCuaig

Mayor says 10-day delay was worth it

Brooks reopens, gets a back a feeling of normalcy after being rocked by COVID-19

May 25, 2020 | 4:37 PM

BROOKS, AB – It’s hard not to notice the difference the provincial Stage 1 reopening has made to life in the city of Brooks.

Last month, as the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic hit home for residents of the city rocked by nearly 1,100 confirmed cases, there were few people on the streets and still fewer businesses outside those deemed essential open.

On Monday it was a new day for the city with cars filling the roads and residents feeling safe to again greet each other on the streets as Brooks joined the rest of the province in opening up.

But while there was hope, there were also reservations about the future.

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At the Brooks Hotel, general manager Chase Irwin says while they are glad to reopen, concerns linger about the future.

“It’s a little weird. We have to go to half capacity, so, about 100 people,” said Irwin. “It’s a little scary still. If someone comes in and gets someone sick, we’re closed for two weeks after that. It’s a bit of a concern but I think we’re excited. It’s been a long time.”

Those concerns aren’t stopping Irwin from looking to the future and hoping for an even wider opening.

“If it’s safe, the more we can reopen, the better it’ll be. There are a lot of big things going on in the summer we’d like to have going on,” he said. “If we can get some more events, more people, it’ll be a big bonus to the community.”

Brooks Mayor Barry Morishita says the week-and-a-half extra the city had to wait to join the rest of the Alberta in the Stage 1 reopening was worth it.

“I think the 10-day delay wasn’t a bad thing,” said the mayor. “It helped us get better prepared and flatten that curve right out. And from the numbers, you can tell we are in pretty good shape going into this relaunch.”

And the change in the attitudes of the residents is unmistakable from when the pandemic was at its worst in the city, he added.

“Two-and-a-half weeks ago, it was pretty quiet,” said Morishita. “There was certainly an ominous feeling in the air about the number of cases and how long it was going to come out of it. Contrast that to today, we see a lot of people moving about excited about the prospects of getting back to a bit of their normal routine and confident that what they’ve done has served the city very well.”

As of Monday, Brooks has 52 active COVID-19 cases and no new cases in the past day.