Nenshi `disturbed' by contact tracing breakdown during new wave of COVID

Mayor Naheed Nenshi says the city wants to help bolster contact tracing in Alberta as COVID-19 cases balloon far beyond what the system can handle.

Under new public-health restrictions from the province and a state of local emergency, the mayor said people must abide by the latest rules to stop the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus.

Premier Jason Kenney announced Tuesday all indoor social gatherings in Alberta are banned and retail businesses can't exceed 25 per cent capacity, among other measures. But as active COVID-19 cases in the Alberta Health Services Calgary zone tick above 5,000, the province has struggled to investigate the huge number of cases provincewide.

“I have been extremely disturbed by the fact that our contact tracing system has broken down,” Nenshi said Friday. “I don't want to get political about it, but I think it's very, very difficult to make decisions when you don't have good data.”

Health experts say tracing the contacts of people who test positive for COVID-19 is a crucial piece of stopping the virus from spreading. But earlier this month, Alberta had to suspend notification of close contacts for COVID-19 cases in all but a few high-priority settings. And on Monday, chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said the contact tracing was so bad that, the system would have to reprioritize, taking the most recent cases and working backward.

That meant for anyone who got a positive COVID-19 test 10 days ago or more, case investigation and contact tracing wouldn't be done.

Nenshi said earlier this week the City of Calgary, as well as private-sector employers, have offered assistance to get contact tracing working again. He said connecting laid off or furloughed employees to contact-tracing jobs is one option on the table.

“I hope that the province will work with us to make that happen,” Nenshi said.

“They've been very receptive … proof's in the pudding. Let's get it done.”

NEW CEMA LEADERSHIP

Just days into a new state of local emergency, a new leader is taking the helm of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency.

CEMA deputy chief Sue Henry will move into the top spot on Dec. 1 as outgoing chief Tom Sampson officially retires.

Henry, a former Calgary firefighter, has been second in command at CEMA since 2015. She's also previously been involved with the emergency response to the devastating Fort Mcmurray and Slave Lake wildfires, and Calgary's 2013 floods.

“To the people of Calgary, you may be nervous to see a less familiar face standing at the podium,” Henry said Friday.

“I want to reassure you we've got this … We will continue to address COVID-19 with clear heads and steady hands.”

Outgoing chief Sampson said CEMA “couldn't be in better hands.”

A state of local emergency issued this week gives the city the power to put orders in place to immediately address issues — that could include shutting down city facilities. But no new measures at the municipal level are currently in effect.

Nenshi called on Calgarians to look at everything they do with a “COVID lens” to keep themselves and others safe.

“It's not too late. We can still course-correct. We can still pull down the demand on our hospitals and on our beleaguered healthcare workers,” he said.

“It's the actions we take today that say: Does a small Christmas this year mean we won't have a lifetime of Christmases with empty chairs?”