Cold Lake bus service remains open; City sets up COVID-19 website

Cold Lake’s bus service remains available for city residents to use during the COVID-19 pandemic with added precautions.

Only the back door of the bus will be used for passengers to get on and off and riders are asked to practice physical distancing.

The City said the buses are being wiped down and cleaned multiple times a day and hand sanitizer is available for all passengers when getting on and off the bus.

“To protect the drivers, there’s probably going to be in the next few days, maybe some designated exits on which seats you can sit on. But right now they’re just the people are unloading and loading from the back end of the bus and so we’re not having to go by the drivers. We’re trying to protect the driver,” said Mayor Craig Copeland on The Morning After last week.

Wheelchair access is still provided in the front.

Copeland said they’ll look at additional measures like closing playgrounds, but might stand pat.

“I have been getting emails about the parks that the city owns and operates and the playgrounds. To close all that down? We’ll look at that,” he said.

“But the City of Cold Lake’s approach has been we’ve been following the chief medical officer’s advice every day, we also do the consultations every morning with Alberta Health, we’re using that as our direction.”

Morning After with Craig Copeland

COVID-19 website

The City of Cold Lake has set up a COVID-19 webpage to answer frequently asked questions.

The City passed a policy at last Tuesday’s council meeting that broadly describes their approach during this time.

The webpage shows a trail of links to city announcements, including waiving penalties on deferred utility and tax payments and the closure of public buildings.

City Hall remains open to the public but is limited to the number of visitors at once.

Other City facilities like the FCSS and Parent Link Centre are closed.