The City of Chestermere joins the growing list of municipalities in Alberta to declare a local state of emergency due to COVID-19.
The city made the declaration on Tuesday afternoon.
“We take this situation extremely seriously,” Mayor Marshall Chalmers said.
“This declaration means that in partnership with you, our citizens, and local businesses, we can protect our community,”
The decision was made after AHS confirmed Sunday the transmission of the virus was no longer strictly related to travel.
Effective March 17, three major changes have been made in the city:
- Businesses must restrict the number of people on their premises to 50 per cent or less of their maximum occupancy load.
- Businesses must have hand sanitizer stations on location
- Residents are strongly advised to limit social gatherings in their homes.
On Tuesday, the province declared a public health emergency.
Alberta is moving forward with aggressive new measures on social distancing, including banning gatherings of groups of 50 or more. Existing events should be cancelled immediately, the premier said.
“This state of local emergency gives our Emergency Management Agency the powers needed to make the decisions required to protect Chestermere,” Chalmers said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Town of Banff also declared a local state of emergency,
Red Deer, Leduc and the Blood Tribe and Siksika Nation also announced local states of emergency Monday, following Calgary’s announcement on Sunday.