Officials promising ‘strong and robust’ plan for pandemic
Mayor and city manager assure residents officials are monitoring situation closely
Regina’s mayor, city manager and fire chief spoke to media Friday morning to assure residents they are developing a “strong and robust” response should COVID -19 make its way to the Queen City.
“I have confidence in what we’re doing ... and I want to say that our priority as a city absolutely is the health and safety and the protection of all Regina residents,” said Mayor Michael Fougere.
Here’s a look at what precautions and preparations the city is taking in light of the first presumptive cases of COVID -19 to hit Saskatchewan this week.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The city is assessing whether to cancel or postpone upcoming events like the I Love Regina Run, Reimagine Conference and city council and committee meetings.
“These are all being actively looked at at the moment and being evaluated. We have not made a decision on those, but in very short order you’ll be hearing about whether those continue on or not,” Fougere said.
The city will take its cue from the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) in terms of how to deal with future events and large gatherings. Some organizations have already taken it upon themselves to cancel events as a precaution.
The 2020 Spring Home Show & Outdoor Adventure show that was set to take place at the end of March was cancelled but, as of Thursday, the What Women Want event expected to draw around 6,000 people to Evraz Place March 13 and 14 was still going ahead.
Decisions around city council and committee meetings will be made “well ahead of time,” according to Fougere who said he expects a larger than normal crowd at March’s council meeting due to a few high-interest agenda items.
Options to minimize risk include written submissions instead of in-person delegations, council members calling in via phone or video, and members of the public not part of a delegation being asked not to attend.
On Friday afternoon, the provincial government announced a ban on public gatherings of more than 250 people in any one room, and ordered no events of more than 50 people with speakers or attendees who have travelled internationally in the last 14 days. The measures will be effective March 16 until further notice.
CITY RUN FACILITIES
As of Friday at noon, all city facilities were to remain open though that could change if a case was reported in Regina. The city has increased the maintenance and cleaning of its facilities, including recreation centres, city hall, transit buses, etc.
Transit buses are getting disinfected in the evenings and additional cleaning processes are being adopted, but city manager Chris Holden wants to remind residents that things only stay disinfected until the next person comes into contact with them so to remain vigilant.
“We’re going to do our part, but it’s really important that citizens and participants in our programs, etc. take that extra step to make sure they’re taking care of their own hygiene in terms of hand washing,” said Holden.
If services must be reduced, he said they will start by shutting down non-essential services like leisure centres and recreation facilities.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
According to fire Chief Layne Jackson, the city’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has been activated.
The level of activation at this time includes “monitoring, reporting and readiness.”
The EOC is a co-ordinating centre for emergencies. It creates a forum that brings all city departments and outside agencies like the Regina Police Service and Emergency Medical Services into one room to organize a collective approach to an emergency.
“This is a global and national health emergency and we are working closely with our health agencies ... in order to co-ordinate and support their efforts and take their guidance to respond appropriately,” said Jackson.
Fougere assured residents that all essential services, including water, waste water, fire and police, will remain operational no matter what.
CITY OF REGINA EMPLOYEES
As of Friday, the City of Regina banned all business-related travel outside the country for all of its employees. Travel within Canada will be considered on a case-bycase basis.
Where possible and appropriate, city staff are being encouraged to work from home and are asked to stay home if they are sick.
The city has 2,800 employees and 200 lines of business throughout the city.
“I think it’s inevitable that we’re going to have ... confirmed cases in Regina,” said Holden, adding the city will be “flexible and lenient” with fee payments and collections policies if residents have to self-isolate.
KEEP CALM AND WASH ON
Fougere reminded residents to stay calm and stay up to date on the pandemic with reliable information, which can be found at Regina.ca/coronavirus or the SHA’S website.
“Hoarding ... indicates a bit of a panic happening with the public and I would just ask they understand that there are supplies everywhere,” he said.
“I’m not sure things like toilet paper are even essential for this kind of an issue, which is respiratory in its nature.”
He reminded residents to understand we are all in this together and we need to support each other as the situation evolves: wash your hands, practise social distancing (no shaking hands or hugging), stay home if you feel sick, don’t touch your face and call 811 if you have questions or concerns.
Up-to-date, reliable information can also be found at Canada.ca.