On Thursday Rocky View County set out instructions on how to deal with COVID-19.

“Rocky View County’s Emergency Management team is in close contact with Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health to monitor the situation. For now, it’s important to remember that the risk remains low,” says County Reeve Greg Boehlke.

The County is encouraging residents to take standard precautions to protect themselves from the risk of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), and is placing special emphasis on the need for those who have been potentially exposed to self-isolate.

“Every case of the virus so far has been related to travel in some way. While the risk remains low, our first line of defense should be to ensure self-isolation for those people who have travelled internationally, been close to those who have travelled, or otherwise had a higher risk of exposure,” Boehlke says. “It’s far better to isolate those people from the population than to try and shut down the economy and isolate the entire population from these very few.”

The county is encouraging residents to practice regular handwashing with soap and water to avoid the spread of COVID-19.

Also, avoid touching the face. People should cover their mouth and nose while sneezing, sanitize frequently used surfaces, and ensure they are rested and eating well.

Anyone experiencing signs of COVID should call Health Link at 811 for more information. Signs include fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

The county has plans in place to maintain essential services should the situation with COVID-19 worsen. “The health, safety, and well-being of our employees, and our efforts to maintain important County services for the public, are our top priorities,” says Al Hoggan, Chief Administration Officer.