Despite rising COVID-19 cases, the City of Red Deer isn’t looking at any additional mask mandates.
In an email statement, city officials said that there are still several provincial mandates in place, including requiring masks on public transit, rideshare and taxis until Sept. 27.
“Council approves bylaws, and at this time, administration is continuing to watch the impacts of the rising numbers in our community and our province,” the statement read.
“While we are not currently in the process of implementing any local masking mandates, we do continue to encourage Red Deerians to also follow general guidelines to reduce the spread.”
As of Monday afternoon, the city had 326 active cases of the virus, the fifth-highest total in the province.
Edmonton, which has the highest active case total in the province, recently approved a new mask mandate requiring masking in all indoor public spaces as of Friday. The City of Calgary with the second-highest active case total is set to have a meeting to discuss local COVID-19 measures.
Red Deer city officials said they are closely watching the COVID-19 situation.
“As we have done since the start of the pandemic, we will continue to follow the advice and recommendations from the provincial government,” the statement said.
“We are closely monitoring the situation locally and will adjust our measures and practices as needed.”
Alberta dropped most of its province-wide COVID-19 mask mandates in July. In B.C., as of last week, masks must be worn in all indoor public spaces.