City council chambers and other city facilities will have capacity limits starting Sept. 20 as city officials develop a plan for the provincial Restriction Exemption Program. (CHAT News File Photo)

By Chris Brown

Effective Sept. 20

Restrictions at city facilities while exemption plan is developed

Sep 17, 2021 | 4:47 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Capacity will be limited at city facilities in the short-term as officials await further clarity from the province on the Restrictions Exemption Program.

“Short-term we’re not going to be asking for proof of vaccination, so it’s just going to be following all of the restrictions,” says Merrick Brown, director of emergency management for the City of Medicine Hat. “Once we dissect the order and the guidance documents and decide if we’re going to move through with the restriction exemption program for each specific facility that is when we would start asking obviously for vaccination status or proof of rapid test within the past 72 hours.”

Brown expects they’ll get the order and guidance documents early next week and will have a long-term plan as soon as possible.

Starting on Monday buildings like city hall, the Family Leisure Centre and the Esplanade will welcome anyone but will restrict capacity to one-third of fire code limits. Masking and physical distancing rules will be in place at all city facilities.

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Monday’s council meeting will be open to the public at a maximum of 40 people in the gallery

Other site-specific restrictions will be in place such as a single point of entry and the cancellation of some programming.

For the time being the city will defer to vaccination requests of the entertainer for Co-op Place and Esplanade events.

No matter what the city’s long-term plan looks like measures such as enhanced cleaning, hand sanitizer and plexiglass barriers will likely remain in place, Brown says.

He also is urging people to get vaccinated.

“We’re seeing definitely spikes right across the province as it relates to active cases, hospitalizations. But more so, ever more important our ICU capacity is getting strained and so now is the time to get vaccinated.”