GATHERINGS OF 50
Groups of as many as 50 people will be able to gather outdoors as long as they follow distancing measures, Alberta’s top doctor announced on Friday. The easing of restrictions was announced in time for the Victoria Day long weekend.
Ahead of the May long weekend, Alberta’s top doctor announced groups of as many as 50 Albertans will now be able to gather outdoors, as long as they follow distancing measures.
It’s the latest relaxation on COVID -19 restrictions in Alberta from chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw.
“We know that outdoor recreation and being outside in well-ventilated outdoor spaces, there can be less of a risk in those spaces if people are following the guidelines,” Hinshaw said. “We want to be clear that this is outdoor gatherings, where risk is lower, and that all public-health measures still apply.”
The expanded gathering size is effectively starting Friday, in time for the Victoria Day long weekend. It applies across the province, including in Calgary and Brooks, where the rates of active COVID-19 cases continue to overshadow those in the rest of the province.
Hinshaw says Albertans must still follow personal hygiene measures and keep a distance of at least two metres from those who don’t live in their household at these gatherings. As well, she recommends people not share food and drink, as the activity has been shown to lead to spread of the novel coronavirus in previous outbreaks.
With a warm-weather weekend approaching, Hinshaw says she understands that many will want to spend time outside.
For the weekend, municipal and private campgrounds that choose to open are allowed to operate as long as they put measures in place to limit the spread of the virus. Travel outside of the province remains discouraged and Albertans visiting cabins or other properties are asked to limit their stops in small communities along the way.
The virus is still with us and there is still risk of spreading it, Hinshaw said, but it’s also important that people are able to celebrate the long weekend.
“Albertans need to collectively be thinking about how this weekend sets the tone for going forward. Albertans who are thinking about going camping, spending time outdoors, doing different kinds of recreation absolutely should be planning those things,” she said.
“I think we need to be celebrating the accomplishments we have achieved and the best way to celebrate the accomplishments that we’ve achieved together is to continue to be thinking … about what we need to do to prevent the spread.”
The doctor announced four new COVID -19 deaths Friday — all residents of Calgary continuing care centres.
Three of the deaths were at Intercare Brentwood, bringing the total number of deaths at the facility to 12. Sixty-nine cases have been confirmed at the facility.
The remaining new death was a man in his 80s at Extendicare Hillcrest. In total, 92 Alberta longterm care residents have died of COVID -19.
Since Alberta’s outbreak began in early March, the province has reported 125 deaths from the novel coronavirus, with 89 of them — or 70 per cent — taking place in the Alberta Health Services Calgary zone. The area is also home to 81 per cent of the 1,073 cases that remain active in Alberta.
That health zone, which encompasses Calgary as well as surrounding municipalities, has also seen more than two-thirds of the province’s total of 6,515 COVID -19 cases.
The continued spread in the city led to some Calgary businesses being singled out of the first phase of the province’s relaunch plan, alongside Brooks, another city that struggled to flatten the virus’s curve. The decision forced some Calgary businesses like hairdressers and restaurants to remain closed while the rest of the province opens up.
Calgary is expected to move into the full Phase 1 of reopening on June 1, when day camps, post-secondaries and churches will be allowed to resume operation. On May 25, it is expected that barbers and salons, as well as restaurants and bars operating at half capacity, will be allowed to reopen in the city.
Any further decisions on reopening will depend on how well communities control the spread of COVID-19, Hinshaw said. Phase 2 of reopening could be implemented as early as mid-june, with schools allowed to reopen and businesses like movie theatres resuming operations.
“The better that we can collectively hold our infection rate stable and low as we move into Stage 1, the quicker we’ll be able to move to Stage 2,” Hinshaw said.
As of Friday, there were 62 Albertans in hospital with the coronavirus, nine of whom are in intensive care units — the fewest people concurrently in ICU due to COVID -19 since March 25. Alberta has 1,081 ICU spaces.
Alberta reported 58 new COVID-19 cases Friday from just over 4,400 tests — a 1.3-per-cent positive rate.
Hinshaw also discussed some results of testing of asymptomatic Calgarians conducted over the past week. From about 1,500 people tested, 50 tests came back positive. However, she said it’s not yet known whether some of these cases had known exposure or were close contacts to people who had the virus.
The doctor also said that she would no longer be providing updates every weekday moving forward, as infection rates decline.
“I know many have become accustomed to these daily updates,” Hinshaw said. “I assure you I remain committed to transparency. While the number of availabilities may decrease, I will continue to provide the information you rely on.”