March 17, 2020

Safe and Sound is the SPFGA's safety and facility-related systemmessage broadcast.

So OK, this state of emergency...By now, you've probably heard that the Government of Alberta declared a state of public healthemergency today.

Lots of new changes arrive with that, and many more new requirements of Albertans to modifytheir activities to reduce disease transmission.

This announcement by Premier Kenney results in the closure of gyms, swimming pools,arenas, science centers, museums, art galleries, community centers, children's play centers,conferences, and family events such as weddings and funerals.

These changes come against the backdrop of the second two-day period of doubling in thenumber of COVID-19 cases in Alberta. This is a serious situation, unprecedented in theexperience of most of us, in fact. These changes are necessary and responsible and theSPFGA Board supports them.

Things That Will Be Changing

First: The office is closed to walk-in traffic.

Until further notice, our business office at 5405 99 Street isclosed to members. We will continue to processmemberships and send out cards via Canada Post.Payments can be processed over the phone at 780-467-0085. Memberships and guest passes can be purchasedvia the website at spfga.ca.

Second: The clubhouse is closed to bookings.

Many of the closures invoked by the state of emergency today are indoor venues, wherepeople are able to gather in numbers and rules of social distancing is difficult to observe. Asthe clubhouse is typically booked by groups, we will echo these closures. March clubhousebookings will be cancelled, and no further bookings will be made until further notice.

Third: The April 18 Awards Banquet will likely not proceed.

We're still working out the details, but the Awards Banquet will almost certainly be cancelled. Asan event with seniors attending, as well as potentially members with complex health issues orwho are critical infrastructure workers, this event would exceed the 50 attendee maximum andas such cannot proceed. We're unclear at this point whether this will be a cancellation orrebooking later into the year, but we will keep you updated with the details.

Fourth: The Board will not be meeting in person.

The Sherwood Park & District Chamber of Commerce has cancelled all bookings of theirmeeting rooms until mid May. As these are the meeting spaces for the SPFGA Board, we willbe exploring online virtual meeting options to ensure club business still proceeds.

Stuff That Won't Be Changing

First: The Ketchamoot Creek facility will be staying open.

Why aren't we closing it? Same reasons as before - range use tends tobe a largely solitary activity and already involves people being 1-2 mapart. Ensuring we all observe this social distancing will be key tokeeping the facility open.

Second: At this point, most club events will proceed as planned.

Same reasoning here too. Events typically fall well under the 50 personmaximum and are pretty much compatible with social distancing. Thestandard risk mitigation stuff will be done, but at this point it doesn't look

like we'll have to change this yet either.

We feel it's more important now than ever that members be able to enjoy outdoor activities. Theintent of the changes brought in over recent days are intended to put physical space betweenpeople to prevent disease transmission, not trap us inside. Walking / skiing / snowshoeing onthe trails or target shooting at the range are activities we can all enjoy while maintaining socialdistancing and preventing transmission of COVID-19. We will continue to keep things open aslong as long as we're able.

Prevention Tips

To prevent the spread of COVID-19:

Ensure you maintain 1-2 m 'social distancing' - physicaldistance between people has been been shown to be veryeffective at containing COVID-19.New evidence shows that COVID-19 remains stable onsurfaces for longer than previously thought. Newrecommendations call for cleaning and disinfecting objectsor surfaces prior to touching using a regular householdcleaning spray or wipe.Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds oruse an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.Hand washing isn't feasible out at the property, so use handsanitizer instead.Avoid touching your face with unwashed or unsanitizedhands.Cough or sneeze into your elbow.If you use a tissue for a cough or sneeze, put it into a trashcan. Sanitize your hands afterward.

Before You Come Out

Before you come out to the property, attend a club event, orattend a meeting please make sure you do the following:

Use the Alberta Health COVID-19 Self-AssessmentTool before you come out. It's a quick and simple testwhether coming out is reasonable or another course ofaction is best.If you've recently returned from travel to any countryoutside Canada, please self-isolate for 14 days.If you are sick, even if it's just a cold, please stayhome.If you're a critical infrastructure worker, are over 60, orhave multiple medical conditions, you may considerstaying home just to be safe.

Why am I getting this email?Receiving safety and membership-related system emails is one of themembership obligations stated in the Membership Terms and Conditionsyou accepted when registering or renewing your membership. Safe andSound emails are those system messages.

Given the nature of Safe and Sound emails we do not expect there will bemany, but they are critically important.