HUMBOLDT – As COVID-19 spreads across the globe, the City of Humboldt is consulting with authorities about the best way to deal with the virus if it hits Humboldt.
“We are talking to people about what some of the best practices are, observing what the federal and provincial levels of health authorities are giving for advice and direction, and beginning to think about how different levels of infection might impact us as an organization,” said Joe Day, Humboldt’s administrator.
The World Health Organization declared the virus a pandemic on March 11 in an effort to shock countries across the world to take urgent and aggressive action. As of March 11, there have been no cases of COVID-19 detected in Saskatchewan.
The city currently does not have a pandemic response policy on the books.
Day said the city is looking at everything from sick day policies, to what happens if a city employee tests positive to the virus, to what they would have to do to keep civic services running if there were multiple cases of COVID-19 detected within the city. The administrator emphasized the city was still in the early stages of its examinations at this point.
North Battleford already had a pandemic response policy, which it has activated in response to COVID-19. City officials there are working on a police that specifically focuses on COVID-19. There has also been a joint committee struck with the nearby Town of Battleford.
Yorkton is in a similar situation as Humboldt. They are waiting to see what advice provincial health authorities give them.
