Five more Albertans die from virus
New restrictions placed on people in self-isolation
EDMONTON
Alberta’s chief medical officer on Monday expressed grief for families affected as five more Albertans have died from COVID-19.
That brings the total number of deaths in the province to eight.
“This has been one of the hardest days yet,” said Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer. “I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to the families.
“Each of these individuals had a life that mattered.”
Two of the new deaths occurred in long-term care facilities or seniors’ housing. Hinshaw said those who died are a woman in her 70s at the McKenzie Towne Continuing Care
Centre in Calgary, a man in his 80s at Edmonton’s Rosedale on the
Park facility, a woman in her 50s in the Calgary zone, a man in his 80s in the Edmonton zone and a man in his 30s in the North.
Another 29 cases were added to Alberta’s total Monday, bringing the number confirmed now to 690.
Those new cases show a decrease from previous days’ counts, but that was to be expected as Hinshaw says the number of tests being done has been reduced.
There were no new cases in the South, leaving the total in this region at 12.
Hinshaw says 94 people in Alberta have now recovered from COVID-19.
The death at the McKenzie Towne Continuing Care Centre marks the second COVID-19related fatality at the facility. The government said Monday that 41 people at that facility have tested positive for COVID-19: 36 residents and five staff.
Hinshaw also said Monday that those under self-isolation are no longer to leave their property, even to go for a walk. If you are in an apartment, you are not to be using the stairs or the elevator, and should remain in your apartment or onto a balcony if you have one.
Hinshaw says these people need to have supplies and groceries delivered and urged other Albertans to offer a helping hand to those in that situation.
“Staying inside will save lives,” she said.
Alberta’s $30-million-a-year energy war room is temporarily cutting its budget due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The province announced late Monday that the Canadian Energy Centre is reducing its current operating budget by 90 per cent for three months, or until regular operations resume, in order to “reflect needs” during the pandemic.
The United Conservative government established the centre to promote the energy industry and fire back against what the government deems to be misinformation.
But the province now says in a news release that the overwhelming majority of the centre’s budget was intended for paid advertising campaigns that cannot proceed during the pandemic.
It says the centre’s spending will be limited to “subsistence operations” such as “continuing and preparing research, office infrastructure and administrative support.”
“Global energy demand is down dramatically because of reduced consumption due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Saudiinitiated price war,” Energy Minister Sonya Savage said in the release. “But in time, demand will recover. The world still needs reliable energy.
“While some would like to capitalize on this unprecedented crisis to permanently shut down Canadian oil and gas, we do not believe we should surrender the global energy market to these opponents. The CEC will continue to be required to promote and defend Canadian energy.”
On Monday, the price of crude oil dropped to its lowest level since 2002, dipping at one point below US$20 a barrel.
The Calgary-based centre has been set up as a provincial government corporation, but is overseen by three cabinet ministers on its board of directors.
It’s suffered gaffes and mis-steps since it was launched in December. Its head apologized last month after the centre questioned the The New York Times’ credibility on Twitter.
The centre was also criticized for using another organization’s trademarked logo and for having its staff members refer to themselves as reporters instead of government employees.
The province says that in addition to ending paid advertising, the centre will also pause work with outside contractors.
The province’s Opposition said in a news release that the centre’s budget should have been reduced to zero, particularly in light of the government’s announcement on the weekend that it was laying off more than 20,000 school support staff, including teaching assistants and substitute teachers, during the COVID-19 crisis.
“It’s good that they will be wasting slightly less in the coming weeks, but the Premier should listen to the broad consensus of Albertans and scrap the war room altogether,” Irfan Sabir, NDP energy critic, said in the release.
-- with files from The Canadian Press