Alberta response ‘too little, too late’

Critics say semi-lockdown to be ineffectual

The Alberta government’s semi- lockdown, announced Tuesday, is receiving criticism from doctors and others, who argue that while the measures might have succeeded had they been implemented weeks ago, they are coming now too late.

Premier Jason Kenney, flanked by Health Minister Tyler Shandro and Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the chief medical officer of health, banned all in- person gatherings, with exceptions carved out for funerals, weddings and church services, though they’ll have attendance limits.

Various other restrictions also came into place. Students in junior high and high school will be sent home for online learning on Monday. Restaurants and bars remain open, but there are strict limits on occupancy and entertainment options like darts are banned.

David Shepherd, the opposition party NDP health critic, told the National Post in a Wednesday interview that the measures are “too little, too late.” He said at a minimum, they would like to have seen mandatory masks implemented across the province, instead of just in the Edmonton and Calgary regions.

“What Albertans need to see is very strong leadership and very clear communication and instead what we got was a grab bag of half measures,” Shepherd said. "( A mandatory mask order) doesn’t close a single business, it does not pose any significant impact on anybody’s personal rights, ( it’s) a minor inconvenience that can make a significant difference in arresting the spread of COVID-19.”

The New Democrats are also calling for the government to release details of all the measures recommended on Monday night to the cabinet committee tasked with tackling COVID.

Asked by reporters if the measures he announced on Tuesday were going to be enough, Kenney said if they don’t work to bring case counts down over the next three weeks, Alberta will be looking at more stringent measures.

While they’re the strictest measures the province has brought in during the pandemic, critics have charged they don’t go far enough at a time when cases are soaring. Hinshaw has described the rising cases like a “snowball multiplying.”

As of Monday, Alberta had the highest case count in the entire country. On Wednesday, the total active case number was 13,719, with 355 people in hospital, 71 in the

we have a big snowball rolling down a mountain.

ICU and 500 dead from the virus.

“To reuse and modify Dr. Hinshaw’s analogy, we have a large snowball rolling down a mountain increasing size each day with Mr. Kenney part way down telling it to stop,” said Dr. Noel Gibney, an emeritus professor of medicine at the University of Alberta. “In my opinion, that’s about how effective these measures are likely to be.”

“I really wish I had something more positive to say and continue to despair of our provincial government’s response to the pandemic,” he wrote.

The new measures may “flatten” the curve, said Dr. Joe Vipond, an emergency room doctor, but there may not be significant declines in the number of cases.

“I think it’s going to end up people dying and our economy suffering through a longer and deeper shutdown,” said Vipond.