Residents staying cautious with COVID-19
By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
While the COVID-19 pandemic has been ongoing for months, residents have reported they are still mostly following strategies to limit the spread of the virus and are warming up to wearing masks.
The Town of Strathmore has been conducting surveys to examine community attitudes and practices regarding COVID-19 public health measures and strategies. The results of the survey conducted in June were recently released by town administration.
More than 700 people completed the 15-minute survey, said Geoff Person, the town’s communication strategist.
“We were able to get all of this really valuable information to help guide our own decision making,” said Person.
With the number of cases increasing in some jurisdictions in the province, and some municipalities passing or considering bylaws mandating the wearing of face masks or other face coverings in some settings, mask use has been at the forefront of the COVID-19 discussion.
Strathmore residents are warming up to wearing masks. In June, respondents reported they were 20 per cent more likely to wear a mask when shopping in the community, compared to in May, according to town administration.
Reported rates of mask use varied among different settings. Residents reported highest mask use while visiting medical settings, with just over 70 per cent of respondents saying they wear a mask always or most of the time while at a hospital or clinic.
Salons and barbers, which reopened under stage one of the provincial relaunch strategy on May 14, had the next highest level of reported mask use, with just under 50 per cent of respondents saying they wear a mask always or most of the time while visiting those types of venues.
Shopping remains one of the most common activities where a large number of people congregate and come into relatively close contact with people outside their social or work circles indoors. Though town council is not yet considering a mandatory mask bylaw, some retailers, including grocery stores, have signs at entrances saying mask use is “strongly encouraged.” Some Canadian Walmart locations have mandated mask wearing, but not in Strathmore.
About a quarter of respondents said they wear masks always or most of the time while shopping, with a similar number reporting wearing a mask while shopping only sometimes. Just over 30 per cent of respondents said they never wear a mask while shopping.
The discussion around masks has been focused on indoor settings. However, the Town of Banff passed a mask bylaw on July 27 that besides indoor settings, applies to two blocks of Banff Ave. Under 10 per cent of respondents said while outside in the neighbourhood, they wear a mask either always (about one per cent), most of the time (about one per cent), or sometimes.
Other approaches to limit the potential spread of the virus have been more widely adopted, according to the results of the survey.
Most Strathmore residents say they are keeping their hands clean. Over 80 per cent of respondents reported washing or sanitizing their hands after grocery shopping or working outside the home.
Many say they are also giving others a wide berth. More than 80 per cent of respondents reported always or frequently physically distancing when walking on trails and sidewalks, grocery shopping and standing in line-ups. About 60 per cent of respondents reported physically distancing while at work, although the survey results did not specify if respondents were asked whether this was actually possible given their work setting.