Brooks joins rest of province in reopening
Residents of Brooks are breathing a sigh of relief after seeing a drop in COVID-19 cases and receiving clearance by the province to move forward with the remainder of the first phase of reopenings.
The southern Alberta city went four consecutive days with zero new cases of COVID-19 before recording two new cases on Friday. At the JBS meat packing plant, where 651 workers had tested positive, only 10 cases remain active. One worker died in the outbreak.
The facility has increased production to two shifts, as cases dwindle.
Overall, there are only 52 active cases in Brooks with 1,033 recoveries and seven deaths — most linked to a continuing care facility. The relatively stable numbers mean restaurants and hair salons will be able to open Monday in Brooks after the province earlier hit pause on a relaunch due to active case numbers on May 14.
“We are very excited that we get to join the rest of the province and I just thank public health and the premier for the thoughtful approach they took to the City of Brooks,” said Mayor Barry Morishita.
“It’s fair for us to take a minute and be happy and proud of what we have accomplished, but one thing we can’t do is let off in terms of awareness,” he said.
Eateries and bars will be allowed to open at 50 per cent capacity at the start of next week. Remaining facilities included in the first phase of the province’s economic relaunch — including day camps, places of worship and post-secondary institutions — will be allowed to reopen on June 1.
Morishita said the additional time was used to procure personal protective equipment for workers, which was previously a concern. He said some businesses are now prepared to reopen while others are taking a more cautious approach.
Good Bites Eatery, Nikki Sushi and Indian Pan Flame, for example, don’t plan to open until at least June 1 to ensure safety of staff and customers.
Meanwhile, Jeff Ward, general manager of Brooks Golf Club, which operates restaurant Nineteen, said they were prepared to reopen on May 14 but supported the province’s decision to delay.
“We went from like zero to 1,000 cases in a week, so I totally understood where they came from and why they did it,” he said, adding it will be nice to finally welcome people back.
Ward said they have followed all guidelines put forward by Alberta Health Services and Restaurants Canada. The restaurant is prepared with hand sanitizing stations, masks for staff, physically distanced seating and dividers between patrons and passersby.
“There’s a little less stress,” he said, speaking about the decline in cases, “but I’m also very aware or I understand that there can easily be a second wave coming or a third wave.”
Without a vaccine for coronavirus or effective treatment, the possibility of another outbreak remains. The mayor said Brooks is better prepared to handle new cases of COVID-19 should they crop up, but he wants access to asymptomatic testing, moving forward.
“I think the investment is worth it to keep businesses going and our economy launching upwards, because if we have an outbreak we certainly have to, again, consider … measures to slow that down,” he said.
Brooks had access to an asymptomatic clinic previously, but doesn’t now.