Municipal councillors could return to in-person meetings mid-November, if pandemic levels hold off this fall.
A staff report going to council Monday is recommending that meetings for the next term to resume in chambers starting November 15, but only if its "safe to do so, which will be confirmed by administration a week in advance."
Council has been holding its meetings virtually since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
It was expected for council to return to in-person meetings in September, but after some discussion at the July 25 meeting, council decided to hold off and have municipal staff return with a report including more information on what the modelling shows for COVID-19 in the fall.
Now that more events and public meetings are taking place, council is ready to rethink its return to municipal chambers.
"[After] consultation with public health officials, administration is recommending that council meetings continue to be conducted virtually for the months of September and October 2022 and be reassessed for potential return to in-person council meetings for the new term of council beginning November 15, 2022," read the report.
The province recently removed the mandatory five-day isolation rule for individuals who test positive for COVID-19 as part of an all respiratory virus approach in anticipation of a rise in general respiratory illness in the fall.
According to the report, the municipality implemented the following changes for staff earlier this month:
• Daily screening for employees is suspended until further notice. However, if employees are ill or have symptoms, they are asked to stay home to rest and guard against transmitting the virus to others.
• Employees returning to work post-illness are strongly encouraged to wear a mask for 10 days after completing the voluntary isolation period and maintain physical distancing at all times.
• For the months of September and October, employees will be able to gather for work-related social events and in-person meetings provided the groups do not exceed 30 people and physical distancing can be achieved.
"We are encouraged that our current provincial and local circumstances permit this opportunity to make some changes to the current policy and protocols," the report read. "We will continue to monitor the situation daily and make changes, be them more or less stringent, subject to what is required to achieve the health and safety of our staff and customers.”
