Premier Jason Kenney is set to hold a news conference Tuesday after the Priorities Implementation Cabinet Committee met Monday afternoon to discuss options for additional restrictions.
New COVID-19 measures are expected to be announced Tuesday morning after Alberta reported more than 1,500 cases for the second day in a row.
The Priorities Implementation Cabinet Committee met Monday afternoon to discuss options for additional restrictions. Premier Jason Kenney is set to hold a news conference Tuesday to announce whatever the committee has decided on. The government also agreed to an emergency debate on COVID-19 in the house Monday evening.
On Monday, the province reported 1,549 new cases of COVID-19, slightly less than Sunday’s record of 1,584 cases which was the highest number reported by any province and surpassed Saturday’s record by nearly 250.
Monday’s cases were higher than Quebec’s 1,164 and just below Ontario’s 1,589. Both provinces have significantly higher populations than Alberta.
Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said she would be giving recommendations to the committee Monday afternoon, though she did not say what those would be.
Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw provided, from Edmonton on Monday, November 23, 2020, an update on COVID-19 and the ongoing work to protect public health.
“This is like a snowball rolling down a hill, growing bigger and faster and it will continue unless we implement strong measures to stop,” said Hinshaw at her Monday press conference.
In question period, Health Minister Tyler Shandro said the government would impose public health measures that were narrow, targeted, and would avoid business disruption, urging Albertans to follow public health guidance.
“I’m taking it very seriously — we all are around that table. We’re going to be deliberating the situation, and we’ll be listening to the advice of Dr. Deena Hinshaw,” Shandro told reporters in the legislature before question period.
Critics have accused Kenney of failing to show leadership throughout the crisis, with #WhereisKenney trending on Twitter in recent days. He is back at the legislature this week after mandatory self isolation as a result of a close contact testing positive for COVID-19.
The premier did not make a statement over the weekend about the spike in cases, and last appeared at a briefing virtually 11 days ago when he announced temporary restrictions on group sports, fitness, amateur arts performances, and curfews on restaurant liquor sales and dine-in service. Those restrictions are set to be in effect until Friday.
NDP Opposition Leader Rachel Notley, who has been calling for COVID-19 modelling, accused the government of hiding information and said it should at least consider the two-week circuit-breaker lockdown health-care workers have been asking for.
“If the government’s going to say no, they need to give us the data to say why not,” she said.
Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson said at a Monday news conference that he looks forward to seeing the province’s new restrictions, however the city is also looking at simultaneous regional measures. The City of Edmonton has 4,701 active cases, representing a rate of 460.1 cases per 100,000 people.
“We’re increasingly hearing a desire from business for some decisive measures that will allow us to do what we need to do to contain the virus so that we can reopen again with confidence after that,” said Iveson.
On Sunday, more than 300 doctors from across the province signed a letter to Kenney, Hinshaw and Shandro, warning the health-care system has begun a slow collapse and that they see a second lockdown as the only way forward.
Edmonton’s Dr. Lana Myroniuk, who spearheaded the letter, didn’t offer specifics on what she would want that lockdown to look like, but said more widespread restrictions, akin to what the government enacted in the spring, is necessary.
“If we keep going at this rate, there’s not going to be room for other patients,” she said.
Hinshaw said that no matter what restrictions are put in place on Tuesday, hospitalization rates will continue to rise.
“We know that hospitalizations typically lag behind the rise in cases by about a week to 10 days. So we will absolutely expect to see a continuing rise in hospitalizations and ICU cases over the coming two to three weeks,” said Hinshaw.
As of Monday, 328 Albertans were in hospital, 18 more than on Sunday. Two additional patients were admitted to intensive care, bringing the total to 62.
Almost half of the hospitalizations — 163 — are in the Edmonton Zone, which includes the city of Edmonton and surrounding municipalities. The region has 5,991 active cases.
Five COVID-19 related deaths were announced Monday, including a 70-year-old man in the Edmonton Zone. His death is linked to an outbreak at Covenant Care Chateau Vitaline in Beaumont.
The other deaths were in the North Zone, Calgary Zone and South Zone.
Meanwhile, starting Tuesday contact tracers will not be contacting people who tested positive for COVID-19 more than 10 days ago for a full investigation into where they contracted the virus. Hinshaw said the measure is being enacted to clear the backlog of cases and help tracers focus on the most recent positive cases.
Nearly 85 per cent of Alberta’s 13,166 active cases had an unknown origin as of Monday afternoon.
“The team has not been able to keep up with the current demand,” said Hinshaw. “We are left with an incredibly difficult problem to solve. In order to maximize the effectiveness of the team, I have asked AHS to start with the most recently diagnosed cases and work backwards.”
She said everyone who has tested positive has been contacted, told to isolate and instructed to inform their close contacts of their diagnosis.
“These individuals will receive a text message that will notify them to not expect a call and to provide them on guidance on if and when their isolation period has ended,” said Hinshaw.
Across Canada, there are 54,999 active cases of COVID-19 with a total of 11,455 deaths to date.
— With files from Ashley Joannou and Jeff Labine
Top stories - Google News
November 23, 2020 at 10:16AM
https://ift.tt/374y8Dy
New COVID-19 measures expected in Alberta on Tuesday after province reports 1,549 new cases - Fort McMurray Today
Top stories - Google News
https://ift.tt/2FLTecc
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
Related Posts :
Australia Is Being Ravaged by The Worst-Ever Heatwave, And That Says a Lot - ScienceAlert- Australia Records Its Hottest Day. At Least for Now. - The New York Times
- Yesterday Was Officially Australia's Hottest Day On Record - LADbible
- Trump has been impeached by the House. Here's what happens next - CNBC
0 Response to "New COVID-19 measures expected in Alberta on Tuesday after province reports 1,549 new cases - Fort McMurray Today"
Post a Comment