ROB MURRAY: I’m speaking with Banff Mayor Karen Sorenson. Banff is responding to the State of Public Health Emergency declared by the Province. What can you tell us about the State of Local Emergency that was declared?

KAREN SORENSEN: On Wednesday, Banff declared a State of Local Emergency and that’s to help us in the community implement the measures brought in with the provincial public health emergency. It basically allows us to supplement additional measures to help stop a very rapid spread of COVID-19 in Banff. We have a crisis in Banff and Lake Louise right now, we have 170 confirmed active cases in Banff and the ID9 region.

RM: Why take these steps?

KS:  For residents, I think a State of Local Emergency allows Banff to reallocate our resources easier. It allows us to be more nimble in responding to what are rapidly changing circumstances, and it also provides us powers to coordinate local organizations and assets. The authority is useful to have, but we also think that declaring the State of Local Emergency will help spread the news to locals that we really need to change our personal behaviors. I think also to that point, for visitors, declaring a State of Local Emergency amplifies our message that there is a high risk here in our community. We have the second highest number of cases per capita in Alberta. We also want visitors to know that events have been canceled and that a lot of businesses have temporary close due to staff shortages, and also just to restate the precautionary measures people should take if coming.

RM: What are some of the specifics of what Council has done here over the last week?

KS: We’re closing our municipal buildings to the public to reduce the risk of close contact and transmission in a situation where it’s not necessary. We have strengthened our mandatory mask bylaw – we removed bandanas and scarves as acceptable face coverings, based on advice from health officials. We continue to ask people to wear masks in all publicly accessible buildings and outside in the downtown core – ski neck tubes and buffs are not enough. On Monday, we are going to determine if we’re going to perhaps expand the mask requirement to further outdoor areas. The suggestion has been the length of Banff Avenue, but we’ll talk about that on Monday. We’re placing digital signs at the entrances to town to inform everyone, visitors included, about the number of COVID-positive cases active in our region, and we are ramping up staff to help at our help desk. We really want to provide direct and referral services for people needing support, people who are in quarantine or isolation and need help with groceries or prescription deliveries. We even offer services if people don’t speak English and they want to apply for sickness benefits etc. Municipal staff are being deployed to help assist Alberta Health Services monitoring businesses to ensure the new provincial restrictions are complied with. We are waiting for the Province of Alberta to authorize our community peace officers so that they can enforce public health orders. On Monday, we’re going to consider a number of additional measures by the use of temporary bylaws, including limiting hours of liquor stores and food and beverage operations. We might reduce the maximum occupancy of restaurants and bars. Quite a few things will be discussed on Monday at another follow-up meeting.

RM: From what you’ve heard, do you have a broad support from the business community for these moves? I know a lot of these moves might affect their ability to operate as we head into the Christmas season.

KS: I’ve certainly had a lot of personal conversations with business owners. I think that the residents are waiting for us to put more restrictions in place and to do the right thing, and I firmly believe that our businesses also want to do the right thing. There’s an absolute sentiment that, if there are to be further restrictions, having them in November and early December would be ideal in an effort to be able to offer something through Christmas and into the ski season.

RM: Speaking of businesses being on board, can about the email you received that you referenced at Banff Council?

KS: Thanks, I appreciate the opportunity for clarity. What I received was an email from an individual who was expressing concern about an employer who had asked a staff member, who was waiting for a test, to come to work. That is not okay. I just wanted to clarify that I did not hear from anybody about any employer who asked an employee to come to work who had a positive test. However, I don’t want to minimize the seriousness that if you are an employee and you are in isolation because of close contact, or you have had a test because you have symptoms and you don’t have the results yet, you should not be going to work. That was the point I was trying to make.

RM: While we’re on the subject of testing, what’s the news on perhaps expanding testing availabilities within Banff?

KS: We finally got some good news on that topic, with credit to our administration team. They have been trying for months, and recently in the last few weeks really putting the pressure on to get more testing here in the Bow Valley. The State of Local Emergency, I think, has helped draw attention to the need for help from the province in terms of more local COVID testing capacity here. Many people in Banff don’t have transportation and it’s hard to understand how they can safely go to an AHS testing site in Cochrane. Thankfully, in Banff we have two great medical clinics – they’ve been such a huge help to us – that have volunteered to conduct testing for our residents, but the Town also recently secured space so one of our clinics could actually expand the amount of testing that they can provide. As of Wednesday, we have had an AHS mobile testing unit – they call themselves a Swab SWAT Team – working with employers that have clusters of cases and close contact among their staff, which has been great. I understand that unit will stay for a period of time. Next week we are expecting Alberta Health Services to set up a community testing area from a facility near the hospital. It sounds like we are very close to getting testing on a much more permanent basis here in Banff.