Yorkton RCMP anticipates no change in presence while 14 officers self-isolate

Yorkton RCMP respond to COVID-19 WATCH: One Regina resident who rides transit says some people aren’t wearing facemasks even though they should be. Mick Favel reports.

Yorkton — A positive COVID-19 test from a Yorkton RCMP member has resulted in 14 officers and six civilian employees being placed into self-isolation.

As over a dozen members are off the street for the two week period, RCMP says residents in the area should not see a change in police presence.

There is a contingency plan in place and there is the opportunity to access additional support for the community if need be, but police state this is not currently a concern.

As recommended by the SHA, the detachment closed its doors to the public on Sept. 28 and are targeting Oct. 12 as a re-opening date.

With the detachment closed to non-emergency matters, those interested in running in the civil election are being directed to submit requests for their background checks online, which is a longer process than doing so in-person.

“Because of COVID-19 and not being able to keep up with work at our RCMP detachment, the council basically made a few changes to say that it won’t be a road block or an impediment for anyone to run for council,” said Yorkton Mayor Bob Maloney.

Maloney also said there is no concern of cross-contamination to City Hall, despite it sharing a building with the RCMP detachment.

“We will of course be doing a deep cleaning of the RCMP home at City Hall, that’s already underway, and we’ll be able to get back to normal as quickly as we can,” Maloney continued.

The detachment will continue to answer all phone calls from the public during the closure.