Rocky View County is advising residents to take precautions against the COVID-19 threat, while keeping the threat of the virus in perspective.
“Rocky View County’s Emergency Management team is in close contact with Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health to monitor the situation. For now, it’s important to remember that the risk remains low,” says County Reeve Greg Boehlke.
The county encourages residents to take standard precautions to protect themselves from coronavirus and place a special emphasis on the need for those who have been potentially exposed to self-isolate.
“Every case of the virus so far has been related to travel in some way. While the risk remains low, our first line of defence should be to ensure self-isolation for those people who have travelled internationally, been close to those who have travelled, or otherwise had a higher risk of exposure,” Boehlke says.
“It’s far better to isolate those people from the population than to try and shut down the economy and isolate the entire population from these very few.”
Randy Smith, the county’s director of emergency management, urges residents to practice healthy habits especially thorough and regular hand washing with soap and water and to avoid touching the face.
When coughing and sneezing, people should cover their mouth and nose and sanitize frequently used surfaces. It’s also recommended to stay well rested and eat a healthy diet.
“You also might want to practice what’s being called social distancing,” Smith says.
“Wherever you can, keep a few feet away from others.”
People experiencing potential signs of COVID-19 should self-isolate and seek information from a medical source including Alberta Health Link at 8-1-1. Symptoms could include fever, coughing, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.
Those with pre-existing health conditions, the elderly, and people with multiple body stressors are most at risk.
The County has plans in place to maintain essential county services should the situation with COVID-19 worsen.
“The health, safety, and well-being of our employees, and our efforts to maintain important county services for the public, are our top priorities,” says Al Hoggan, Chief Administration Officer.
“Our staff are working closely together to ensure that we stay on top of the situation, and that core services such as fire, enforcement, and road safety will continue to function should the risk from the virus increase.”
The county has provided links to resources where individuals and businesses can receive more information
For businesses information on how to protect employees, visit the “Info for employers” section of the Government of Alberta COVID-19 page www.alberta.ca/coronavirus-info-for-albertans.aspx#p22780s6
For information from the province on risk levels and new cases www.alberta.ca/coronavirus-info-for-albertans.aspx
For information on travel health notices from the Public Health Agency of Canada, including a tool to search travel advice by country www.canada.ca/en/publichealth/services/travel-health.html
