Nenshi proud of activists protesting in solidarity
Gatherings to fight police brutality, racism used COVID-19 precautions
As thousands of Calgarians took to the streets to raise their voices against racism and police brutality this week, Mayor Naheed Nenshi said he feels “extraordinary pride” even though he still warns against large gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nenshi said Thursday that people should keep practising physical distancing and proper hand hygiene as some public-health restrictions gradually lift. But he said people also need to understand the importance of the protests and the need to acknowledge systemic racism in Canada.
Calgary’s two solidarity protests this week follow rallies across the United States in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white police officer in Minneapolis knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes during an arrest.
“If I can be blunt about it, fighting for fundamental human right to life in a protest is not the same as going out for beers with your softball team,” Nenshi said.
“And I think Calgarians are smart enough and thoughtful enough and compassionate enough to understand the difference.”
Nenshi added that there’s still risk when so many people gather in the same place, but he commended protest organizers for making sure people sanitized their hands and wore face coverings.
“Ultimately, we all do what we can do to balance off what is needed to protect the public health, but also to protect people’s rights and people’s need to talk at this time.”
Anyone in Alberta can get tested for COVID-19, whether they have symptoms or not, and Nenshi said anyone who has been in a crowded space like the protests might want to consider getting a test.
“I do think it makes real sense for those who have been in any situation where they’ve been with a lot of other people to double down on their own efforts,” he said. “If you were at one of those protests, you’ve got to wear a mask. And you’ve got to be even super more careful in all your activities for the next 14 days.”
Alberta recorded another 15 cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the provincial total to 7,091. Of those, 6,611 people have recovered from the deadly disease.
Over the past 24 hours, another Albertan has died due to COVID-19. The deceased was a male from Calgary’s Extendicare Hillcrest long-term care centre and marks the 146th death in the province.
The majority of active cases remain in the Calgary zone, where 247 people remain ill, representing 74 per cent of Alberta’s active cases. To date, 48 people remain in hospital, six of whom are in intensive care.
Symptoms can take up to 14 days to develop, so there is no clear indication what impact, if any, the protests will have on COVID-19 numbers in Alberta. As it stands, cases and hospitalizations are far below what was previously expected.
“Because of you, we’ve saved thousands of lives in this community. We didn’t come near what the predicted models said,” Nenshi said. “That’s not because it was a hoax, that’s not because it wasn’t a big deal in the first place, that’s not because we overreacted.”
CITY COVID-19 UPDATES
All city-owned playgrounds in Calgary are scheduled to finish reopening Friday after starting the process of inspecting them all last week. Calgary Emergency Management Agency deputy chief Sue Henry said parents should be prepared to pack hand sanitizer when they visit a playground and try to make sure their children stay two metres away from others.
The city has also added space on the road in Eau Claire for people on bikes, in-line skates and scooters. The idea is to make sure pedestrians have room to spread out.
The adaptive roadway is in place on Riverfront Avenue from 1st Street to 2nd Street S.W., and on 2nd Street from Riverfront Avenue up to the Eau Claire promenade.