Edmonton council pausing pandemic bylaw talks given new province orders 'meet' same 'imperative'

City council approves of new COVID-19 measures CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson has more on council’s reaction to the new COVID-19 measures by the province.

EDMONTON — Edmonton's mayor appeared satisfied with Alberta's latest -- and to date, strongest -- public health measures announced on Tuesday.

The mandates by the Alberta government included a limit on social gatherings to household cohorts, except for those living alone, provincewide mask rules, and capacity limits or closures for those in the hospitality, retail, and personal service sectors.

They echoed a motion Edmonton's councillors passed earlier that day to call on the provincial government to bring in tougher restrictions.

"I believe these new provincewide measures meet that imperative," Mayor Don Iveson said in a statement.

He called them tough, especially for vulnerable people and struggling businesses, but doable with support from the higher levels of government.

“I urge Edmontonians to observe these new rules for our collective safety, and get creative about staying connected virtually through the holidays.

"Not too long from now, we’ll look back with pride at how we hibernated for health and, by our diligent actions, saved many lives and prevented an overload of the health system for those who still needed it."

The restrictions were also met with approval from Alberta’s former chief medical officer of health, Dr. James Talbot.

“We think that they’re a very good development,” said the co-chair of the COVID-19 Pandemic Committee. “We’re very hopeful that those measures are going to be enough to bend the curve and take the pressure of the medical staff and the healthcare system.”

The committee was asking for similar measures from Edmonton city council before the new restrictions were announced Tuesday.

“I think that it’s the right move because we’re looking at the virus doubling every two weeks,” said Talbot. “Once we have control, then we get to control the amount of damage that is done… but right now it’s the virus that has control.”

Talbot is concerned about a possible influx of people in stores to get holiday shopping done before some of the restrictions come into place on Dec. 13.

“Obviously the virus is going to continue to circulate and we need people to make responsible decisions between now and then. Rushing out and jamming the malls to get in your shopping before the deadline on the thirteenth is obviously a bad idea.”

With new measures from the province, Iveson also said the council would be pausing its own work on a bylaw to implement restrictions within Edmonton.

Tuesday morning, councillors discussed making restaurants, gyms, and casinos the main targets of city-wide rules meant to help control the spread of COVID-19 in Edmonton.

The recommended measures, introduced at a special city council meeting, included ending in-person dining, closing fitness centres, closing casinos, and further limitations of religious gatherings. It also could have meant a closure of the city’s recreation centres.

Instead, the mayor said council would be meeting later in the week to talk about how it could "support communication and enforcement of these new measures (by the government), and to understand how they affect City of Edmonton operations."