On Saturday, March 21 the town of Gravelbourg declared a state of local emergency in response to COVID-19 pandemic.

Part of the decision was based on the presentations that Dr. Pillay, Dr. Ramlakhan, Dr. Kamel and the CAO of St. Joseph’s Hospital /Foyer D’ Youville, Désirée Brisebois made to the town Council after a request for a special meeting.

The local doctors outlined their concerns for the small town and strongly suggested serious measures be put in place to help slow the spread of the virus and save lives.

As a result, the Town Council activated the EMO team and the pandemic plan.

In a shared post on Gravelbourg Online, the community’s news page, Dr. Ramalkhan made the following statement on her personal page,

“The medical team would like to thank the mayor, Joan Corneil and town council for the bold step they took this weekend by declaring a state of emergency in Gravelbourg and activating our pandemic plan.

This was an extremely courageous decision and we applaud them.

We have worked in close association with them and the EMO team,

We believe that in doing this, we will have more success in flattening the curve and reducing the number of people infected and people succumbing to CoVid 19.

If we look at other countries that are badly affected by CoVid 19, especially the devastation that is occurring in Europe right now, there are many lessons to be learned about how things could have been done differently to contain the spread of the virus.

One of the most important things was social distancing and staying at home. This should have been started when they saw a doubling in their numbers, but alas this did not happen.

Today in Saskatchewan, our numbers increased. We went from 26 yesterday to 52 today. That has double.

This means we need to change what we are currently doing because it’s obvious that it’s not working.

Hence this plan for our beloved town of Gravelbourg and it’s inhabitants.

I know these measures that have been proposed sound draconian and extreme but this is what we need to ensure the preservation of our community.

This will disrupt our lives, income, social activities and create angst. I can relate.

It feels surreal, stressful and scary.

But ... if we can just say to ourselves that we will hunker down and sacrifice a few weeks, we will come out of hibernation and live in a world that will be healthier.

We are also hopeful that this will inspire other little towns like us who feel lost and forgotten. We have to shape our own destiny and do what’s appropriate for our communities.

Can you imagine the impact if we all executed a similar plan!!! It’s empowering and allows us to have a modicum of control.

Life will get back to normal but right now we will need to sacrifice freedoms we took for granted.

This is an unprecedented calamity that warranted an unprecedented response.

We will be having daily meetings with the medical and EMO teams and promise to update the whole community on a regular basis. In the meantime,

  • Stay at home.
  • Work from home if possible.
  • Constant Hand hygiene
  • Social distancing
  • Do business virtually by using mediums like the telephone / Skype/ FaceTime or video link.

This is what we as physicians are trying to do right now by offering those services telephonically and this, in turn, limits the need for people to travel and sit in our medical offices in the presence of other sick patients. It is also reducing our exposure and our staff’s exposure to multiple sick patients in our waiting room.”

In a president move, the local doctors have implemented a virtual clinic at the hospital where residents can contact the doctors directly with questions or concerns to receive help and guidance.

In addition to this, the local doctors are volunteering to do the initial assessments/tests to help elevate the strain of the 811 health line and to avoid trips to Moose Jaw Hospital where currently, COVID -19 test centers are located for the area residents under the Five Hills Health Region.

Later yesterday afternoon and after the town’s announcement of the local state of emergency, the medical team posted the first live Facebook feed updating people and answering questions directly. Over 350 residents watched live and then over 770 shares in a town of 1,100. The next live announcement is scheduled for tonight at 7:15 p.m.

The Town of Gravelbourg released the following directions for its residents under the state of local emergency declaration:

  • All businesses mandated to close by the Government of Saskatchewan will remain closed in the Town of Gravelbourg.
  • All businesses are closed to the public for fourteen (14) days. This will be monitored for changes daily.
    • Businesses can operate through phone orders and use a drop off method or have the customer stay in their vehicle and staff will load.
    • No more than 5 staff members in anyone building at any one time.
    • The Gravelbourg Co-op Grocery store will be implementing a specific plan regarding how their operations will be able to comply with this measure- please watch for updates by following our website and Facebook page.
    • Gas stations will be open for gas service only.
  • Council is encouraging residents to curtail travel in and out of the community unless absolutely essential.
  • All residents are charged with the duty to report to the Town office @ 306- 648-3301, any persons returning from international travel and not self- isolating. This information will be forwarded to the RCMP.
  • All parents are charged with the duty to isolate their children from ALL social gatherings. These measures do not restrict you from walking around town- keep your distance from others

Citizens are encouraged to monitor the town’s web page and Facebook page for up to date information.

Trena Fox, an active local community member organized a volunteer group to assist anyone in the community who requires help with deliveries of food, medication, walking dogs, getting mail and anything in between. 

In a second live stream segment on Facebook that took place Sunday evening at 7:15 p.m., the Mayor of Gravelbourg, Robert Bowler, Dr. Pillay, a member of the medical team and Matt Forest, Coordinator of the local EMO, reinforced their position that residents stay home, wash hands often and save lives.

The Swift Current Online Newsroom will be updating this story as it unfolds.