Another 71 cases reported in province
Mayor reiterates plea to wear masks, especially for transit riders in Calgary
As Alberta Health Services reported another 71 cases of COVID-19 in the province Monday, Calgary’s mayor said city officials are still looking into the possibility of making mask-use mandatory for transit-users.
The number of new cases hasn’t been this high since May 16, when 72 new cases were reported in Alberta, and Mayor Naheed Nenshi is concerned about the low number of Calgarians wearing masks in public as active cases slowly climbed to 559 Monday. The number of active cases in the Calgary zone is 239, up by 23 from Sunday, and the total number of cases in Alberta now sits at 8,067.
“The level of mask-wearing is way too low. My work colleague said that on a Monday when we thought traffic would be really light, his Ctrain car was busier than he’d ever seen and maybe 40 per cent were wearing masks; that’s way too low,” Nenshi said Monday.
“People really need to be wearing masks on public transit, in stores, in places where they can’t guarantee they’ll be staying six feet or two metres apart, and in places where they don’t know the person, so if there is an outbreak you won’t be able to track it. Those are places where you really have to be wearing a mask. You shouldn’t wait for the law to tell you that you have to; you should just do it.”
Officials are still determining how the city can mandate mask-wearing on public transit and Nenshi said he isn’t sure how long it will take for them to have that information.
To him, wearing a mask shouldn’t be the political argument it’s become.
“I need to remind people, especially now, the mask doesn’t actually protect you, it protects others from you. So it’s not a sign of fear or ‘I’m not masculine if I wear one.’ It’s actually a sign of community. It’s a sign that you care enough to look after other people,” said Nenshi.
“Give up the stupid political arguments of wearing a mask or no mask. Let’s just try to not overwhelm our healthcare system; let’s try to keep grandma and everyone else alive and the best way to do that is just to cover your face.”
A group of Calgary doctors has also called on provincial and federal governments to make the use of face masks mandatory.
The 71 new cases come from 6,999 tests, or about a one per cent positive rate. AHS has recorded 7,354 recoveries, 4,981 of which have been in the Calgary zone.
There are 41 people in hospital due to COVID-19, including nine requiring intensive care.
Alberta’s death toll from COVID-19 sits at 154, with no new deaths reported in the province since Thursday. But Canada reached 8,522 deaths as a result of the novel coronavirus Monday.
An outbreak at the condominium building Verve Tower in East Village has now resulted in 48 cases of COVID -19, including 36 active cases and 12 recoveries. Three people have been hospitalized in connection to this outbreak, though two of them have been released from hospital.
“Most of the cases have no known exposure and no clear link with other people in the building,” said Alberta Health in a statement. “We are exploring high-touch surfaces as a potential source of transmission and plan to do environmental sampling this week.”
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, reminded people on Twitter Monday of the restrictions on gatherings that are in place, as Canada Day approaches.
“If you’re planning a gathering for Canada Day, or another summer activity, remember outdoor gatherings and indoor seated events are limited to 100 people. Indoor gatherings are limited to 50 people,” posted Hinshaw.
“No event, community or region of the province is immune from the virus. Simple acts like wearing a mask when out in public, washing our hands regularly, and staying home when sick is the best way to protect yourself, and everyone around from COVID-19.”
The City of Calgary reopened four ice rinks on Monday, including George Blunden and Optimist in the southwest, and Stew Hendry and Henry Viney in the northeast. As well, Norma Bush, Shouldice and Stu Peppard arenas opened with dry pads for non-ice sports.
Let’s try to keep grandma and everyone else alive and the best way to do that is just to cover your face.
MAYOR NAHEED NENSHI