OLDS — Deputy director of emergency management Jennifer Lutz was cautiously optimistic about the COVID-19 pandemic in Olds as she gave an update to town council on May 10.
Lutz noted that as of that date, the number of COVID cases in the town and adjacent area had fallen from 123 cases on May 2 to 97 on May 10. As of end of day May 15, there were 65 active cases.
Lutz said at the beginning of the month Olds was “the hot spot in the central region.”
“We got up to number 4 in case numbers per capita in the province and we were number 1 in the central region, so I hope our numbers have spiked, have peaked,” Lutz said.
Coun. Mary Anne Overwater asked why COVID case counts in Olds and area got so high. She questioned if the No More Lockdowns Rodeo Rally, held May 1-2 near Bowden was a factor.
“Is it because people weren’t following the AHS (Alberta Health Services) rules? Is it because we were classified in the rodeo? Were there outcomes in the rodeo that happened that spiked our numbers,” Overwater asked.
“I don’t see a lot of communal gatherings or anything, so why are our numbers spiking?”
Lutz said according to AHS, there’s no one reason for the rise in numbers.
"They couldn’t attribute it to a single event. It was schools, it was daycares, it was day homes, it was business, it was within residences, so it was just widespread community uptick because (of) positive cases,” Lutz said.
Lutz said the town’s emergency team is keenly aware that many people are “tired and done with COVID,” yet they continue to soldier on by complying with COVID-19 restrictions, and for that, town officials are grateful.
“We really appreciate the support and understanding we have seen from the community as we work through COVID-19,” she said.
“We’ve seen a lot of chalking, good messages, kindness, and just generosity in the community — neighbours helping neighbours — and we cannot thank people enough for doing their part.”
