Diligence urged as local cases plateau
By COLLIN GALLANT on December 9, 2020.
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant Local emergency officials say Medicine Hatters should be proud their actions are slowing down the local spread of the coronavirus, but vigilance is needed to avoid a repeat of rising caseloads. Merrick Brown also said that a provincewide mask mandate would likely align with local bylaw, and both are enforceable. Overall, he said Hatters are acting to prevent the spread and should be applauded, but we all have the ability to reduce the spread, which will lower cases in hospital and improve the outlook as we head toward a vaccine this winter. “Every (emergency) event will come to an end at some point … how that comes to an end is up to us,” he told reporters at city hall in a weekly press briefing. “It’s in our control; how long, and more importantly how severe the outcome.” Locally, the number of new cases being diagnosed appears to have stabilized, and that, combined with recoveries means the total number of active cases in trending down. Brown hypothesized that complacency that built up over the summer when cases were low in Medicine Hat, may have contributed to a spike in numbers this fall. In mid-November cases tripled in less than two weeks to more than 100. An increase in cases likely heightened awareness, said Brown, and at about the same time, more people began wearing masks voluntarily and recommitting to other measures like hand-washing and maintaining social distance. Figures have plateaued now, but a rise following the Thanksgiving weekend and likely from get-togethers, could be repeated during the coming Holiday Season. “The decrease in cases – we were over a hundred and we’ve come down to 92 (as of Monday) – that’s all based on responsible decision making,” said Brown. He said the local mask bylaw was generally well accepted, though some points are causing confusion. He said many common questions are answered on the city’s webpage under a “frequently asked questions section. “We’re adding to it daily based on feedback we’re getting,” he said. 16-15
