CHAT News File Photo

By Chris Brown

Guidelines, restrictions still in place

Mayor: Exercise caution as province reopens this week

May 12, 2020 | 12:38 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Medicine Hat’s mayor is feeling hopeful as the province approaches Stage 1 of its relaunch strategy on Thursday, but said caution must still be top of mind.

Mayor Ted Clugston said he’s feeling optimistic about the reopening and is hearing the same from people everywhere he goes.

“But what the city, what we really want to stress and AHS has been stressing this and the province is with this hope comes caution,” he said. “Perhaps now is where we even need to be more vigilant than we were in the past.”

Merrick Brown, the city’s director of emergency management told Hatters that the public health guidance and restrictions that are in place now will still be after May 14 and it’s critical they are followed.

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“We’re not out of this, we have not beat this, we have not won, so all of these items still apply,” said Brown. “The physical distancing, the Chief Medical Officer of Health’s orders, all of this still applies. We can’t have this belief in our mind that we beat it, now everything is open and nothing applies anymore. We still have a ways to go.”

He encouraged business owners who will open in the coming days to visit the Alberta Biz Connect page for guidance.

Specific to Medicine Hat, Brown confirmed the Gas City Campground will open on June 1, with additional restrictions and changes.

He also said the Esplanade, which could open on May 14, will not. They are working on a plan that puts the safety of staff and visitors first and will release more details as that plan comes into focus.

“We’re going to move through this process very methodically and very safely,” said Brown. “We want our workers to have number one a safe workplace, and number two is we want our public to be able to come to a city facility and feel safe. So, we may take a little bit of time to ensure that we have this nailed down.”