At last count, there are still no active cases of COVID-19 in St. Albert, Morinville or Sturgeon County, but we can't let that make us complacent.
After remaining nearly flat for weeks, case counts have been ticking upward in the Edmonton area since the beginning of June. Despite that, the province went ahead with the second phase of its economic relaunch, which officially began June 12 – a week sooner than had initially been expected.
The announcement meant libraries, community halls and recreation facilities could reopen their doors. Sports teams could begin planning potential seasons. Wellness services and personal services could resume, movie theatres could open up, and live theatre and instrumental concerts could go forward. Indoor social gatherings were increased to 50 people, with outdoor gatherings increased to 100. The province also removed its cap on the number of people at worship gatherings, in restuarants, casinos and bingo halls.
All in all, the reopening was a major step forward out of the pandemic's gloom for a large swath of our society. Yet the response from many of these businesses and organizations is very telling.
Many just don't feel ready to reopen. The announcement came too soon for some churches, with the St. Albert United Church telling the Gazette public worship is anticipated to resume in September. Many performing arts organizations in the Edmonton region declared they would be postponing their season restarts until 2021. The St. Albert Public Library won't be ready until the end of the month at the earliest, and city facilities such as Servus Place and Fountain Park Pool are taking their time in order to reopen safely, which could be weeks down the road.
The driving force behind this hesitation is how much work needs to be done in order to make public spaces safe in the era of COVID-19 – and rightly so, as no organization wants their building to be the location of the next potentially deadly outbreak, or to put their staff or clients at risk in the interest of reopening quickly. Better to do it right than to jump the gun and create a safety hazard. They also no doubt know another potential shutdown, should the virus see a major resurgence, could cripple our economy beyond repair.
Above and beyond the precautions these groups are taking, it is incumbent on all of us to take this seriously, even if we do not consider ourselves at risk. Family gatherings in Edmonton made headlines in the past weeks for being the source of a couple outbreaks. That, coupled with the increasing numbers in Edmonton, is a stark reminder that we must all continue to take precautions and be vigilant. This race to reopen will be won by being slow and steady, not rushing to the finish line.
