UNITY ‑‑ As the government of Saskatchewan holds their stance on not implementing further restrictions to help curb the spread of COVID-19, some community residents looked to their local governments for direction or help.
Mayor Sharon Del Frari of Unity says no further restrictions will be introduced by council.
“We discussed COVID and the severe increase in cases with Omicron. Council takes the mental and physical health of our children and residents of all ages very seriously. We feel the restrictions in place in our province emphasize the importance of vaccines and our own roles in keeping our community safe,” says Mayor Sharon Del Frari of Unity.
“Omicron is in our community. The consensus among those who study these viruses is that Omicron will not put us into the ICU if we have done what we can to protect ourselves. Council will not be adding any additional restrictions to our recreation facilities. Continue to use hand sanitizer, mask up when out and about, social distance as required and have your vaccinations up to date.”
Kerrobert's mayor, Wayne Mcrk, also advises residents to stay the course.
“From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kerrobert has adhered to the guidelines that were laid out by the provincial hovernment. Our recreation director, Bobbi Hebron, took on the role of advertising any changes to the guidelines that came about throughout the pandemic,” Mock says.
“I would say our businesses in town went above and beyond in a great way. While the start of the pandemic had seen shortages of certain items such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer, our businesses made sure to only allow a certain amount per customer so that everyone had a chance to get these necessities so that our residents didn’t struggle with the same shortages as other communities.”
The Kerrobert mayor also said the school and hospital had stricter rules as they had a bigger challenge to keep the virus out of their work environments.
“I am very proud of how our community responded, and even though everyone is growing tired of this pandemic, we are all staying diligent and hopeful that this will indeed come to an end soon,” Mock says.
The community of Luseland put a reminder on social media about mandatory masks at their arena, and to wear them properly, including their office. Their plea included the message that the facility may suffer by those who are not adhering to rules and are set forth by the government, not the venue itself, and it was up to everyone to comply to make arena time enjoyable for everyone.
