Coronavirus: Edmonton votes to lift state of local emergency

Edmonton city councillors have voted to end the local state of emergency that has been in place since mid-March amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

During Thursday’s Emergency Advisory Committee meeting, interim city manager Adam Laughlin recommended the conclusion the state of local emergency, which was declared on March 20.

A number of factors went into the recommendation, Laughlin said, including the fact the province has suggested it will end its state of public health emergency later this month.

The number of active cases of COVID-19 in Edmonton, as well as the number of cases within the city’s homeless community, was also a factor. The number of cases has remained relatively stable for the past three weeks.

“I would like to stress that we are still not in the clear,” Mayor Don Iveson said.

“We are still in the grip of a major public health emergency. The virus has not disappeared — far from it — and we may still be very much at risk of a second wave of infections if we do not keep up the excellent work that we’ve been doing so far in our city.

“Lifting the state of emergency does not mean that everything just goes back to the way it was.”

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As of Thursday afternoon, there were 46 active cases of COVID-19 in Edmonton.

4:04 City of Edmonton Stage 1 reopening not ‘business as usual’

Laughlin also stressed the conclusion of the state of local emergency does not mean the public health crisis is over, and the city would continue to respond to the pandemic.

“I want to be clear that the COVID crisis remains with us and the risk of transmission remains high,” Laughlin told councillors.

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“It is not business as usual.”

He also echoed the mayor’s statements that Edmonton could still see a spike in cases in the coming weeks as more restrictions are lifted.

Iveson said the city will work with the provincial government to ensure it has confirmation in writing that peace officers will still be able to enforce public health orders without a local state of emergency in place, and after the province lifts its state of public health emergency.

Administration will also request that the city continue to hold the Emergency Advisory Committee meeting every two weeks, rather than every week, to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 situation. A proposed schedule will be brought back in a report to city council on Monday.

“Open and responsive communications are essential. This afternoon, I repeated administration’s commitment to regularly share information, decisions and data with council. This is one way we can do our part to ensure our relaunch is safe and effective,” Laughlin said.

Laughlin noted a special council meeting could be called quickly if the state of local emergency needs to be reinstated.

The vote to terminate the state of local emergency was unanimous. It ends at midnight.

Services continue at Edmonton Expo Centre

Despite the local state of emergency ending, services for the city’s vulnerable population will continue to be offered at the Edmonton Expo Centre.

“Not renewing the state of local emergency doesn’t impact our ability to provide services at Expo, Kinsmen and Central Lions,” Laughlin explained.

“What we’re seeing is that the number of cases within the homeless community from a COVID-19 perspective is currently at zero,” he continued.

“With the cases being lower, at zero, operations can continue at those facilities without the state of emergency.”

Reintroduction of transit fares

Last week, the city announced transit fares would begin to be collected again on June 15. As the city moves closer to that date, it is working with Alberta Health Services on a plan to distribute non-medical face masks to the public.

The use of non-medical masks is encouraged in public spaces where two metres of physical distance cannot be maintained, such as on public transit.

The city said AHS has provided 500,000 non-medical face masks that ETS will distribute to residents. More information on the process and logistics is set to be released in the coming days.

City facilities

Laughlin said all city playgrounds, courts and sports facilities that reopened late last month will remain open this weekend. Last weekend, two skate parks and two basketball courts were cordoned off by tape and closed after physical distancing measures were not being followed.