It’s time to move on from COVID-19, says Lac La Biche County Mayor
The province’s latest announcement to take a staggered approach to remove pandemic measures is the right direction in order to get back to some normalcy, says Mayor Paul Reutov.
Priority needs to be given back to people's everyday needs, he told Lakeland This Week.
“It’s not what it was a year ago, we have learned a lot, science has caught up to it. I believe that we would be doing more damage if we continue with these extreme measures,” Reutov said.
Last week, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced a three-staged approach to remove all public health measures in Alberta in the coming months. The first stage which was enacted last week saw the removal of the Restrictions Exemption Program (REP). Included in the initial stage was reintroducing food and beverage consumption at facilities and venues, while also removing occupancy limits for venues with a capacity of under 500.
“It is time to shift to a balanced approach where we are able to live with COVID-19 and return to normal,” said Kenney during the announcement.
Reutov agreed.
Questioned by some about his thoughts towards the restrictions, Reutov has shown his response in public council meetings, opting not to wear a face mask while conducting municipal business in the chambers. Newly elected council member Kevin Pare and returning councillor Darlene Beniuk have also opted to go without the masks during recent Lac La Biche County meetings.
Municipal administrators have been asked about mask-wearing policies in public meetings, but say the municipality does not enforce any specific policy for council members, and instead relies on provincial health orders. Alberta Health officials say they have not enforced mandated mask-wearing in municipal council chambers, instead leaving that up to the municipalities.
Last week, schools across the province were abruptly informed that masking use for all school children will be removed on Feb. 14. It’s a decision Reutov says was well overdue since there is no evidence masking is effective, adding that it’s been pressured onto children.
“There is no evidence that this works of any kind, so it's just literally these mandates that are just being implemented…I think it’s time to accept it and move on,” Reutov said. “It’s been quite a challenge and I think based on science it’s not justified to keep kids masked.”
Ultimately, he said, personal opinions aside, the municipality follows provincial mandates.
“We follow the provincial guidelines to a large degree,” he said. “For a county and as a Mayor will I support putting measures in place even if the province has removed them? No, I would support the province's decision.”
Businesses will benefit
The staged removal of pandemic measures is good for the local economy, said Reutov, who campaigned in last November’s election largely on an economic growth platform. He said removing some of the restrictions for businesses—especially restaurants—will support all facilities and the local industry that relies on the community for support, he said.
“I think it's very positive, especially in the rural areas. I understand in the cities where it’s a much larger population you have more customers than here. It’s a small community, you have a small base of customers that you have to please and satisfy, so obviously, the rural communities have been hit the hardest,” he said.
Community concerns
The province’s plan to remove the restrictions continues to hinge on the pressures faced by the province’s healthcare system. As the Lac La Biche community copes with a temporary closure of its OB and surgical wards, as well as the recent, sudden departure of a long-time physician and chief of staff at the hospital, Reutov says the public needs to accept that the provincial plan to continue to phase out the restrictions is the best solution.
“It’s not too soon, it’s been two years,” he said, noting that the severity of recent COVID waves is not as high as it was when the pandemic began. “This is not a matter of life and death situation anymore. We learned a lot and if different variants come or whatever level they may be, again, the science, the medicine and the vaccines have caught up.”
“Vaccines are a personal choice and you cannot force people. You can educate people. You can give them the best decision, the best medicine and the best information, but with that, they make their own choice...I think that the government, anybody, including myself for that matter, does not have that authority to force anyone to do anything.”
Lac La Biche County Mayor Paul Reutov
After years of watching measures come and go, rolling back restrictions is the only viable option, the long-time businessman says, explaining that the rewards far outweigh any risks for further disturbances to mental health and social well-being.
“There is always some type of risk that you may take. Driving a vehicle is a risk but again there are other areas that people need to also consider is with these lockdowns and the mental health issues, the kids that are being affected, and the drugs and everything else that is also climbing,” the mayor said. “Everything is escalating in other areas but are not being considered in this equation.”
Respecting personal choices
As the mayor pushes for the public to remember how much COVID-19 has affected daily lives, he says the community also needs to continue to respect everyone’s personal choices about vaccinations and allow people to make their own informed decisions.
“Vaccines are a personal choice and you cannot force people. You can educate people, you can give them the best decision, the best medicine and the best information. But with that, they make their own choice,” he said. “I think that the government, anybody, including myself for that matter, does not have that authority to force anyone to do anything.”
Moving ahead -together
As frustrating as the last few years have been, moving forward with the province’s plans of eventually lifting all public health restrictions, community members will have to learn to be a community again — one that supports one another on both sides of the aisle, said Reutov.
“Get along and accept that it’s not about the haves and the have nots. It’s not only creating division between the population sector but it’s even diving into families and communities…We need to respect each other in whatever personal decisions we make, even if they’re wrong decisions in some cases. They still need to be supported and not hated.”
*w/files from Rob McKinley
