Wetaskiwin City Council voted to implement the provincial Restrictions Exemption Program (REP) at the Manluk Centre: Wetaskiwin Regional Aquatics and Fitness, and the Civic Center during the regular Sept. 27, 2021 city council meeting.
As of Monday Oct. 4, 2021 the REP will be in place at these facilities. This means that all individuals age 18 or older must show proof of vaccination with accompanying photo identification or must provide either a negative COVID test from within the last 72 hours, or a medical exemption from a medical practitioner to use the Manluk Centre or Civic Centre.
City council also made a motion for Administration to procure private security to support REP operations at the Manluk Centre and Civic Centre to a maximum of $15,000. This security will be funded from the city’s contingency reserve.
The city says this proactive step was taken to ensure the safety of staff working out of these locations following numerous incidents of facility users directing threatening behaviour and verbal assaults at city employees.
“Community and staff safety is our top priority,” stated City Manager Sue Howard. “Our community has been under an extreme amount of stress and finding ways for citizens to get back to normal is imperative. The Restrictions Exemption Program is one way we can help recreation users get back to their routines.”
Facility users ages 12 to 17 must also show proof of vaccination although they will not require accompanying photo identification. Users in this age group will also not have to supply a negative COVID test from within the last 72 hours or proof of a medical exemption from a medical practitioner unless they participating in activities or programs onsite.
Currently anyone under the age of 12 does not need to provide any vaccination documentation.
The city states in order to continue safely delivering service to the community they have requested that all city employees be fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine series by Oct. 28, 2021.
They say employees who disclose that they have not have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, or a single dose in the case of a single dose vaccine series, or who have not disclosed their vaccination status as requested will be required to receive mandatory education on the benefits of vaccination and participate in weekly COVID-19 Rapid Testing demonstrating a negative result.
Wetaskiwin City Hall is not able to participate in the REP due to its classification as an essential service. The City of Wetaskiwin’s municipal services office and main fire services office are closed to the public at the time. Anyone needing emergency fire response can continue to access it by calling 9-1-1.
The Wetaskiwin Regional Airport office is also closed to the public except for the pilot’s lounge, which will need to adhere to one-third capacity, masking, and physical distancing measures.
shaela.dansereau@pipestoneflyer.ca
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