One year after massive COVID-19 outbreak, City of Brooks, County of Newell tout community unity

By ALEX McCUAIG Special to the News on May 5, 2021.

As COVID cases continue to climb across Alberta, one part of the province can relate to the challenges faced by communities struggling to cope.

One year ago today, Brooks and the County of Newell were struggling to deal with more than a 1,000 cases of COVID-19, challenges with getting testing facilities running and businesses being shuttered.

If there is a lesson to be learned from that experience, it’s the importance for a community to be unified in dealing with a COVID-19 crisis, according to the Brooks mayor and Newell County reeve.

“I don’t think it’s helpful when we’re not trying to be unified about this,” said Mayor Barry Morishita regarding the overwhelming science supporting the benefits of vaccinations, social distancing and masking to help limit the spread of COVID.

“Whether it’s the MLAs going off on their own thing or the opposition parties not providing progressive, co-operative solutions – because that is what we need.”

Morishita said while there is those who don’t agree with some of the measures taking place at the provincial level, Brooks and the surrounding municipalities are providing a unified front regarding messaging.

With a case count of 4,400 per 100,000 people last May, Morishita says the personal impact of the virus on the community helped to bring it together.

“You weren’t very far removed from someone who had COVID or were affected by COVID – whether it was your neighbour, friends, relatives,” said Morishita. “I think that’s the disconnect. A lot of people haven’t had to deal personally with it.”

Newell Reeve Molly Douglass agreed, adding that following public health measures has rid the province of other diseases such as smallpox and polio in the past and can do so for COVID.

“A large majority of our council believe this is a health crisis,” said Douglass. “We believe this is a time for people to pull together, not being polarized the way we seem to be.”

She called the province unique in Canada in its opposition to public health measures and said other jurisdictions have had to deal with tougher restrictions, “and people have handled that. It’s puzzling to me.”

And she added the Brooks region’s largest employer, JBS, has been part of the unified front in tackling COVID.

“From the workers right up to management, they’ve responded positively and efficiently and with care and concern,” Douglass said of the meatpacking plant. “So I totally believe getting on the same page is the only way we’re going to get through this crisis.”

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