The City of Chestermere has declared a State of Local Emergency due to the COVID-19 situation. This allows the City to pursue additional measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our region.

Chestermere Mayor Marshall Chalmers said, “We take this situation extremely seriously and this declaration means that in partnership with you, our citizens and local businesses, we can protect our community."

Alberta Health Services (AHS) recently confirmed that transmission is now happening within our community and cases are no longer strictly related to travel. Chalmers expressed that this is very concerning as people do not necessarily know where they picked it up. “This State of Local Emergency gives our Emergency Management Agency the powers needed to make the decisions required to protect Chestermere,” said Chalmers.

Under the powers of the State of Local Emergency, the City announced three changes for businesses and residents. The first two pertain mostly to businesses with the first being, businesses must restrict the number of people on their premises to 50% or less of their maximum occupancy load. This includes staff. This mandatory requirement will ensure that people can safely practice social distancing.

The second change is, businesses must have hand sanitizer stations at their location and require people to sanitize their hands before they enter the building. These are now mandatory measures for businesses in Chestermere and if businesses do not comply, they may face fines or closures.

The last change is directed towards residents. Residents are strongly advised to limit social gatherings in homes. Hosting or attending larger than normal sized gatherings put you, and the people you love, at risk. They recommend that birthday parties, celebrations and anniversaries are cancelled until further notice.