North Battleford mayor, Ryan Bater said it’s important to continue current social distancing protocols during this time, as the province looks to slowly begin re-opening the economy. (File photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Cautious Optimism

North Battleford Mayor, Ryan Bater gives reaction to Re-Open Saskatchewan plan

Apr 24, 2020 | 4:29 PM

North Battleford mayor, Ryan Bater is urging caution to residents following the unveiling of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan, announced by the province Thursday.

Bater said while it is obviously nice to see progress is being made in the effort to ‘flatten the curve’ of COVID-19, it is important that residents continue to adhere to current practices in place, designed to slow the spread of the virus.

“For starters, I’d like to urge caution, as the Premier himself, was quite cautious,” Bater said. “I think that laying out a plan for Saskatchewan and having a roadmap forward is valuable; but at the same time, I don’t think people should see the word ‘reopen,’ and completely abandon all of the practices we have incorporated into our society since the middle of March.”

Bater said taking seriously the protocols put in place over the past month has been a key part in getting things to where they are today – with a chance to explore the return of different businesses moving forward. That is why it’s important to continue to stay on track as a community.

“People should still be maintaining distancing, [and] keeping their circles small in terms of interactivity,” he said. “That is key to still ensure we are all behaving as if the virus is in the community, which we know that at one time, it was.”

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While the mayor’s response remains cautiously optimistic – it is just that, optimistic.

He said the city’s office has been in close contact with the Ministry of Government Relations, and having conversations provincially, about how to incorporate the ‘Re-open Saskatchewan’ plan to the city of North Battleford, specifically.

“As a municipality, now that we have a bit of an idea of a timeline as to when things will be reopen, there will be some direct impacts on the city in terms of recreation facilities, the library, our parks and so on, so we are currently evaluating that,” he said.

Bater added further clarity should continue to come forward in the coming days and weeks.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1