Crews from the Town of Drumheller have stepped up cleaning practices inside and outside to make the community safer.
Many have noticed that over the last few days that crews wearing protective clothing have been working throughout the valley disinfecting town and private property, especially in high traffic areas in order to stop the spread of the Coronavirus. This includes work at town facilities, retail locations, even playgrounds. The Drumheller Post office is one high traffic area that crews are paying attention to.
“The Town of Drumheller has embraced the protection of all their citizens, going above and beyond to ensure the health and safety of frontline workers, regardless of who their actual employer is,” said Darin Sherk of the Drumheller Post Office. “Canada Post has employees spread across the country and must ensure safety measures for everyone, something that takes a great deal of time and resources.”
“The Town of Drumheller has done what they can to fill the gap by providing cleaning and sanitation in public areas and guards to prevent direct contact from the public to our staff. We can not say enough about how much we appreciate this help and how connected to the community it makes us feel.”

According to a release from the Town of Drumheller, the BCF, staff and contract cleaners have been sanitizing the common areas several times a day, including comprehensive cleaning of all fitness equipment and accessories, sporting gear, washrooms and water fountains.
The town announced that only on Sunday, March 22, residents who have rented lockers at the Aquaplex and Badlands Community Facility will be allowed to collect their items from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Staff will be limiting the number of people that will be allowed at one time and will maintain social distance. If you have recently returned from out of the country, have been exposed to COVID-19 or are showing symptoms to refrain from entering these buildings.
“We would encourage all residents to constantly and thoroughly clean their homes and businesses and maintain social distancing particularly at work and we want to help. Cleaning crews have been out helping businesses with their increased cleaning needs. In fact crews will be working with 24 businesses over the next couple of days to clean their premises.”

A near brush with contacting the Coronavirus underlines the importance of social distancing as the pandemic continues to spread.
Drs. Rithesh and Veronique Ram were slated to attend an interprovincial bonspiel in Edmonton from March 11-14. The event was reported to attract 50-60 physicians from Western Canada. This was an annual event they normally partook in.
However, with COVID-19, the unimaginable has been happening, and when the WHO declared a global pandemic last Wednesday, March 11, they made the tough decision to back out of the curling bonspiel hours before it was to commence.
On Wednesday, March 18, one of the attendees from Saskatchewan tested positive for COVID-19, Dr. Ram’s emotions were in overdrive.
“Everybody is already so justifiably stressed and concerned about COVID-19. I made the decision last Wednesday to not go to the bonspiel,” said Dr. Rithesh Ram, who has been working with the Drumheller Emergency Management Agency. “Instead, I woke up the next morning and sent a message to our community leadership to meet urgently to discuss my concerns as a Physician with a Ph.D. in Epidemiology.”
The Town took Dr. Ram’s concerns seriously, as the Drumheller Emergency Management Agency was initiated within 24 hours of his initial meeting with leadership, and now Drumheller is well ahead of many other rural communities in Alberta.
“Initially, I was sad and wondering if I made the right decision for not going. Hearing that my friends and colleagues are now in isolation and awaiting results of COVID-19 testing made this crisis even more real. Everyone, and I mean everyone, needs to take this global pandemic crisis seriously. Social distancing, hand hygiene and all of the measures your Town of Drumheller, local businesses, and Public Health are taking are the only way to manage this disease. Doctors have no cure or treatment for this pandemic,” said Rithesh.
On Thursday, March 19 Alberta registered its first COVID-19 death in Edmonton.
“Unfortunately, there are individuals in town that believe COVID-19 is not serious enough to be caring, compassionate and careful. More people are going to die, and in my line of work, that is the single most important event to try and be caring, compassionate and careful for," he said.
Please check out https://floodreadiness.drumheller.ca/covid-19/2/ for all of the latest information on what is being done to keep you safe.