Rocky View County (RVC)  has made the decision to immediately close the county hall for the next two weeks.

RVC says it's following necessary steps outlined by the province's chief medical officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw.

County hall will remain closed until Apr. 1 in hopes of helping to limit the spread of COVID-19.

“The health, safety, and well-being of our residents and employees, and our efforts to maintain important County services for the public, are our top priorities,” says Chief Administrative Officer Al Hoggan. “Rocky View County will continue to fully operate core services, including fire, enforcement, utilities, solid waste, and road safety. However, nonessential and in-person services, such as building permit or planning applications, are suspended.”

RVC says essential services including snow clearing will continue and waste disposal sites will remain open.

However, all other county events and activities, open houses, council meetings, and committee meetings will be suspended during the hall's closure.

“I know this is a stressful time for residents, and especially for seniors and others who already have health concerns,” says RVC reeve Greg Boehlke says. “Things are changing dramatically on an hour-by-hour basis, so out of an abundance of caution we have made this difficult decision to close County Hall given the high levels of public interaction that occur in the building.”

Among the events that have been postponed is a Farm and Rural Security seminar that was to be held this week.

The meeting was meant to included presenters from a rural crime watch association, security company, and RCMP to provide rural residents with tools and information on how best to secure their properties.

Over the next few weeks, RVC will determine whether the seminar can be rescheduled.

Also cancelled are information sessions on the County's considerations into becoming a Specialized Municipality. The County is currently looking at the idea of applying to the province to change its municipal classification.

RVC says changing to a Specialized Municipality would allow it to provide more geographically targeted services to residents and businesses.

While the planned information sessions have been cancelled due to concerns around COVID-19, residents can email feedback to the County. An online survey is also expected to be forthcoming.

More on the initiative can be found HERE.