Skip the last-minute shopping: Hinshaw
New restrictions take effect Sunday
The province's top doctor is warning Albertans not to rush to retail businesses ahead of the new COVID-19 restrictions going into effect Sunday.
As of 12:01 a.m. Sunday, casinos, gyms and dine-in service at restaurants will be shut down and retail services, shopping malls and places of worship must reduce capacity to 15 per cent of fire code occupancy.
But people shouldn't wait until the clock strikes midnight to follow the public health measures, Dr. Deena Hinshaw said Friday.
“If we can, please do not rush into malls or cram into businesses tomorrow before the restrictions kick in.
“Don't host a holiday or Hanukkah party, just because you don't think you'll get caught,” Hinshaw said.
“Don't plan a family gathering just because you're pretty sure that your family doesn't have COVID. Every action we take is like throw
ing a stone into a lake, it ripples out, and we cannot know where those results will end.”
She said by altering our actions immediately, the case numbers the province sees in the days and weeks ahead can be reduced.
Alberta reported 1,738 new cases of COVID-19, with the total number of active cases at 20,161 on Friday — the highest in the country.
There are 684 people in hospital, up from 682 on Thursday. Of those, 123 people are in intensive care, down from 124.
Eighteen more deaths raised the provincial death toll to 684.
In the Edmonton Zone, which includes the city and surrounding municipalities, there are 9,570 active cases of COVID-19 while the city of Edmonton has 7,805 active cases.
In schools, Hinshaw said there are currently active alerts or COVID-19 outbreaks in 458 schools, or about 19 per cent of schools in the province. They have a combined total of 1,947 active cases.
In Edmonton Public Schools, outbreaks of COVID-19 were declared at Norwood, Keheewin, and Elmwood schools, while Edmonton Catholic Schools had an outbreak declared at St. John Bosco School.
Hinshaw also announced changes to visitation at Alberta Health Services acute care facilities in order to slow down the spread of COVID-19.
As of Monday, one designated support person for each patient will be allowed in ambulatory, emergency, urgent care, maternity/postpartum and other in-patient areas.
Up to two designated support people will be allowed in critical care, pediatrics and the neonatal intensive care unit.
Meanwhile, the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees said a correctional officer believed to be in his 50s working at the Fort Saskatchewan Correction Centre died after contracting COVID-19.