Town to monitor entry of Snowbirds into local businesses

By Rob Vogt
Local Press Writer
The Town of Claresholm has joined the call for people returning to Canada from the United States to go straight home, and not stop for groceries or anything else, in an effort to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
At its March 23 meeting, Claresholm town council discussed these people, often called Snowbirds, who have been entering Canada from the United States.
Instead of going straight home and self-isolating for 14 days as mandated by Alberta Health, some are parking their motor homes and recreation vehicles in parking lots and going into grocery stores and gas stations in communities on their way home such as Lethbridge and Claresholm.
Mayor Doug MacPherson raised the issue after a presentation by Jason Hemmaway, the town’s director of emergency management, updating council’s on the town’s COVID-19 response.
The mayor said Lethbridge had stopped the problem by putting security in stores.
He said he would like to see the town’s community peace officer swing through the parking lot of the local grocery store at least once an hour.
He would be looking for parked motor homes and RVs and asking them to move along home, if they are not local.
“We’re pretty safe if we keep following the rules,” MacPherson said of controlling the spread of COVID-19.
On March 24, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney also implored people coming back from the United States to go straight home and self-isolate for 14 days, just as anyone else returning from international travel must do.
He stressed this is not a hint or vague
suggestion, but a public health order.