Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw has been reminding residents that although not mandatory, mask-wearing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

In cities like Edmonton and Calgary, municipal governments are working to create bylaws that mandate wearing masks when using public transit and when entering government-owned facilities such as City Halls, recreation centres and more. 

On July 24th, Red Deer Mayor Tara Veer submitted a statement saying they would not enforce mask-wearing for residents at this time:

"The mandatory use of masks continues to be a topic of conversation in communities across Alberta and around Canada as we all respond to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The Government of Alberta has indicated that they do not have province wide plans for mandatory masking and have left the decision to municipalities to make decisions based on their local situation.

The City continues to follow the number of cases in Red Deer and the Central Zone health region very closely.

The recent uptick in cases in the region is concerning and serves as a reminder of the importance of following all public health orders to protect ourselves, our loved ones and our community.

At this time, given current case numbers within the city, The City of Red Deer is not considering implementing mandatory masking in Red Deer, however this may be revisited at any time given fluctuating case numbers in the city and region along with direction from the Chief Medical Officer of Health."

Dr. Hinshaw is recommending people go ahead and use the masks on a voluntary basis, whenever they are not able to physically distance from others or are in indoor spaces.

New case numbers as of July 24th, 2020.  *Alberta's total now 10,086

  • 111 new cases of the virus in the last 24 hours
  • 1,341 active cases in Alberta
  • 95 people are hospitalized with COVID-19
  • 19 people are currently in ICUs
  • 8,567 total recovered cases
  • 178 total deaths from the virus (4 in the last 24 hours)
  • 623,442 tests have been performed in total 

Alberta.ca shows the following active cases in the Central Alberta area: 

In total, there are 167 active cases in the Central Zone, with 34 people in hospital

  • 9 active cases in the county of Lacombe
  • 5 active cases in the county of Red Deer
  • 9 active cases in the city of Red Deer 
  • 8 active case in the county of Ponoka
  • 5 active cases in the Town of Sylvan Lake
  • 1 active case in the Town of Olds
  • 29 active case in the county of Stettler 
  • 0 active case in the county of Mountain View 

*Not all cases in the Central Zone have been included.

To view the geospatial map of Alberta, click here.