ST. PAUL - A conversation regarding a mandatory mask policy at the Clancy Richard Arena and CAP Arena in St. Paul became mute when the provincial government announced no sports would be allowed to operate for three weeks, as of Nov. 27.
On Nov. 24, the Government of Alberta announced a list of enhanced measures to slow the spread of COVID-19. The number of active cases across the province continues to increase, and the St. Paul area remains under enhanced status due to the high number of cases in the area.
CAO Kim Heyman confirmed that as of Friday, arenas in town were closed. While she noted there may have been a possibility to keep the arenas open for individual use, it simply wasn’t worth it due to the costs incurred for staffing and sanitizing.
Heyman also noted that some leagues could apply for an exemption to continue operating, but from her understanding, the rules would be similar to that of the NHL when they played in a bubble.
When speaking on Friday, Heyman said that although arenas are now closed, the mandatory mask policy that was approved during Monday night's council meeting remains in place and signage has been put up at the arenas. The policy will stay in place as long as the region remains under enhanced status.
Swimming
The St. Paul Aquatic Centre is still open and a revised schedule was released on Friday. The schedule shows various times for public swimming.
No group classes or lessons are allowed to occur, but the pool is open at 25 per cent capacity. The town has deemed that limit to be about 20 people at a time, with the biggest challenge being the change rooms.
“We’re trying to work through that,” said Heyman.
CAOs across the province have been meeting with provincial officials regularly over the phone, with another meeting set up for early next week. CAOs are able to ask questions during the calls, but often, the answers require more research.
Heyman said she is scheduled to take part in another meeting on Tuesday and acknowledges that things could continue to change over the next three weeks as the situation remains very “fluid.”
Some items brought up at a recent meeting include parades, which is still unclear; and mutual support gatherings, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, which can still go ahead.
Town staff
For town staff working in the office, many have reverted back to how things were being done when the pandemic began in the spring, alternating between working at the townhall and at home. This allows for fewer people in the building at once.
“We were already set up with a lot of our staff being able to work from home,” said Heyman.
The townhall is still open to the public to pay bills, since barriers were installed at the start of the pandemic.
When asked about any events that were scheduled at town-owned facilities, Heyman said there was still one market-type event scheduled, but she is unsure if organizers will be able to meet the new equirements.
With Christmas fast approaching, Heyman encourages vendors to look at hosting virtual markets.
