Top doctor urges patience in city
Delayed relaunch called ‘unfair’, Hinshaw says it puts safety first
Calgarians need to be patient as they await a more full reopening of businesses in the city from COVID-19 restrictions, Alberta’s top doctor said Thursday.
Alongside Brooks, Calgary was singled out of the province’s relaunch plans that came into effect Thursday.
“I’ve heard concerns from Calgarians and residents of Brooks who are feeling that it is unfair that we are taking a more gradual approach to relaunch in their communities,” Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said.
“I want to reinforce that the recommendations I have made are never taken lightly. Since last week, we have been focusing our planning on a balance of protecting Albertans from the damage of COVID-19 and the health of Albertans from the impact of a prolonged shutdown. If we move too far in either direction, neglecting the other, our outcomes will be worse. Our best path is seeking that balance and making adjustments along the way.”
Alongside Premier Jason Kenney, Hinshaw announced Wednesday afternoon Phase 1 of the province’s relaunch strategy would move forward as scheduled, except in Calgary and Brooks, two cities that continue to cope with the majority of Alberta’s active COVID-19 cases.
There are currently 1,131 active COVID-19 cases in Alberta. Calgary is home to 839 of those cases, while Brooks has 91 — combining for 82 per cent of all active cases in Alberta.
Other areas of the province are faring significantly better. Edmonton, for example, has only five per cent of Alberta’s active cases despite making up nearly a quarter of its total population.
While restaurants, bars and hairstylists are now allowed to operate in most of Alberta, those businesses will have to wait until May 25 to open in Calgary and Brooks. However, retail businesses, farmers’ markets, museums and art galleries in those cities were permitted to reopen alongside those in the rest of the province.
Hinshaw said she understands the extra 10-day wait is frustrating for Calgarians but says it will allow public health officials to continue to monitor case rates in the city.
“Calgarians are working hard already,” she said. “The possibility for Calgary to be catching up to the rest of the province by having lower numbers, I think that’s very doable.”
Hinshaw also introduced new rules for reopening businesses Thursday. All businesses, as well as places of worship and venues for funeral services, must fill out a short form within seven days of reopening that details steps they have taken to mitigate COVID-19 spread. The form is available online at alberta.ca/bizconnect.
Additionally, there are now specific restrictions on the number of people allowed in individual spaces. At dine-in restaurants allowed to open, for example, 50 per cent of capacity will be allowed with no more than six diners per table and distancing of at least two metres between tables. Places of worship will be allowed one-third of their typical attendance or 50 people — whichever is smaller — and are prohibited from hosting group singing.
The ban on gatherings of more than 15 people is still in effect when there is not a specific party responsible for the safety of attendees.
The decision to wait until about 4 p.m. Wednesday to tell some Calgary businesses they were unable to reopen drew political ire from Opposition NDP Leader Rachel Notley, who called for the United Conservative government to reimburse restaurants for expenses, including rehiring costs and spoiled food supplies.
“It’s not so much about the decision itself (to delay reopening), it’s about how the decision was handled,” Notley said. “Reimbursement is necessary and fair. Businesses should not have been put in this position.”
Government officials said Thursday they are considering further economic actions to help businesses.
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi echoed Notley’s comments, saying he wished businesses were informed in advance but added he believed the delayed relaunch to be the right choice.
He also said he was surprised that communities surrounding Calgary such as Airdrie and Okotoks were not affected by the delay to Phase 1 of reopening, and urged Calgarians not to travel to those municipalities for haircuts or sitdown meals.
Hinshaw said officials considered a wider scope for the delayed reopening but ultimately decided to limit that restriction to the city itself.
“With the city limits of Calgary, there’s many communities right around that area, but if we had drawn the line around those communities, there’s another circle of communities immediately outside of those,” she said.
“The decision to make the City of Calgary that line was really that it was only a 10-day difference between the first opening (Thursday) and the next reopening.”
To date, 121 Albertans have died from COVID-19 after one additional death was reported Thursday, a man in his 90s at Calgary’s Intercare Brentwood Continuing Care facility. Eighty-six residents of Alberta long-term care homes have died of the novel coronavirus, and there are currently 100 active cases in the province’s facilities.
Fifty new COVID -19 cases were reported Thursday from just over 4,800 tests — a one per cent positive rate. Also as of Thursday, there were 65 Albertans in hospital, 10 of whom are in intensive-care units, a decrease in both metrics from Wednesday.