INNISFAIL – The town has closed its administration building today (Nov. 9) following the confirmation of an outside staff member being tested positive for COVID-19.
This morning the town issued a news release stating the employee was tested positive Nov. 8., and the that town office was closed Nov. 9 “pending a pre-planned procedure to ensure the safety of the facility’s staff, patrons and visitors.”
However, there will be council today via Zoom, confirmed Ken Kowalchuk, the town’s communications coordinator, by email.
“As the office is closed to the public out of precaution, it is my understanding that here there will not be in-person public access to the council meeting,” said Kowalchuk. “I will provide more details as they become available.”
Neither Town of Innisfail Mayor Jim Romane or Todd Becker, the town’s chief administrative officer, were immediately available for comment, or for additional information.
The earlier news release from the town on the confirmed staff COVID case stated that the nature of the employee’s work is such that close contact with any member of the public is unlikely to have occurred in the process of carrying out his/her duties.
The news release added the employee is based out of a non-public-facing town facility, with the majority of his/her work being ‘field-oriented’ in nature.
In the meantime, the town is moving forward to ensure essential town services remain uninterrupted by this COVID case.
“In instances such as these, the Town continues to effect the provisions of its 2020 Business Continuity Plan, developed earlier this year as a means of ensuring essential town services remain uninterrupted in the event of a pandemic-related disruption,” said the news release.
