In response to the spread of the novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, the Alberta Government has adopted a new strategy to help prevent the spread of this illness that's affecting multiple people in multiple countries around the globe.

As of Thursday, March 12th, 2020, the Alberta Government is asking all large gathering (more than 250 people) or any international events happening in the province to be cancelled, and also advises Albertans against travelling outside of the country. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) also officially confirmed COVID-19 as a pandemic, meaning it's an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents. 

If you think you may have the COVID-19 virus, DO NOT Go to the doctor or hospital. Stay at home, call 811, and a health professional will come to you to get you tested.

Any event that has more than 50 attendees and expects to have international participants, or involves critical infrastructure staff, seniors, or other high-risk populations should also be cancelled.

As of March 12th, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases was at 23, and includes a two-year-old child from the Calgary zone who is now recovering at home. The child recently returned from a vacation in Florida, and also attended a local daycare in Calgary before testing positive a few days later. 

There are 15 cases in the Calgary Zone, seven in the Edmonton Zone, and one in the Central Zone.

As of Friday, March 13th at 7:00 am, there were 107 confirmed cases in Canada, with only one death so far. 

You can scroll down in this article for more information from the Alberta Government.

Now as you can guess, with the government restricting groups of more than 250 from gathering, this is going to affect a lot of events, both locally and worldwide. 

Here is a quick list of some of the things impacted so far. Stay tuned to Sunny 94 and keep checking in to Lacombeonline.com, as we will keep you updated on cancellations as best we can.

  • Major sports leagues like the National Hockey Leauge, the National Basketball League, and Major Leauge Baseball have already suspended their seasons, as well as the Canadian Hockey League, which includes the Red Deer Rebels, pausing their season for the time being.
  • Locally, Hockey Alberta had to cancel all of their Hockey Canada-sanctioned activities, including their national championships, until further notice. This includes the Atom Female Provicnail CHampionship which was to be hosted in Bentley next weekend.
  • Burman University has suspended or cancelled all university-funded travel outside of Alberta for students and staff and will be moving to online classes for the rest of their winter semester, starting on Monday, March 23rd.
  • The Central Alberta Family Expo has been postponed. It was originally scheduled for March 21st and 22nd at Westerner Park. An alternate date will be picked sometime in the future.
  • The grand opening for the Family Resource Centre in Springbrook has been postponed by Red Deer County. The grand opening was originally scheduled for Saturday, March 14th.  
  • Also announced Friday morning was the suspension of classes at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, the University of Lethbridge, and the University of Calgary.
  • The Wolf Creek Public School Division had already postponed their 2020 China student exchange program, they also cancelled two Europe bound trips for the Alix-MAC School and the Ponoka Secondary Campus School.  
  • The Chinooks Edge School division has also cancelled some of their trips, but as of this time, they have no plans to shut down any schools or classrooms.
  • The Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools have cancelled two international trips. École Secondaire Notre Dame High School had two trips planned, one to Germany, Croatia and Spain, while another group was heading solely to Spain. St. Joseph High School students were to visit Central Europe (Germany, Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary). All trips were to occur during March 18 – 29.
  • The Electric Garage Red Deer Auction which was to take place this weekend at The Westerner has been postponed.
  • The Lacombe Kinsmen St. Patrick's Ceilidh scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed. All Red Deer Rebels games have been postponed
  • In Sylvan Lake, all events with an expected attendance of 250+ are cancelled, including this weekend's planned "Meltdown" event, the Sylvan Lake Home & Lifestyle Show in April, and the Town's Volunteer Gala, also in April.
  • Westerner park in Red Deer is canclling all events that would attract over 250 people, including the Taboo Naughty but Nice Show on March 13th-15th, the Red Deer Hospice’s 'A Night at the Races' Gala on March 14th, and the Red Deer Spring Collector Car Auction and Speed Show onMarch 13 to 15.

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From the Government of Alberta: Thursday, March 12th, 3:35 pm:

Alberta is adopting aggressive new public health measures to help limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19. 

Effective immediately, the Alberta government is asking all large gatherings or international events in the province to be cancelled and advising Albertans against travel outside of the country.

Four new cases of COVID-19 have now been confirmed in Alberta, bringing the total number in the province to 23, all travel-related. One patient continues to recover in hospital, while all others are in isolation at home.

“We are doing everything possible to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our province. The virus is spreading rapidly and is now a global threat. We are implementing these new measures to slow its spread and limit the risks in the weeks ahead. Protecting the health of Albertans is, and always will be, our top priority.” Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Chief Medical Officer of Health.

“The coming weeks are vital in our fight to protect Alberta from COVID-19. These are serious steps, and ones we do not take lightly. I am calling on every Albertan and organization to assist our public health efforts and do their very best to comply with the public health guidance. It is critical that Albertans come together to do our part in keeping Albertans healthy and safe.” Tyler Shandro, Minister of Health.

New public health restrictions

Alberta is asking organizers to cancel any events that have more than 250 attendees. This includes large sporting events, conferences and community events. It does not extend to places of worship, grocery stores, airports or shopping centres.

Any event that has more than 50 attendees and expects to have international participants, or involves critical infrastructure staff, seniors, or other high-risk populations should also be cancelled.

Events that do not meet these criteria can proceed, but risk mitigation must be in place, such as sanitizer stations and distancing between attendees.

At this time, schools and daycares can remain open but steps should be taken to ensure that no more than 250 individuals are in the same room at any given time.

Travel outside of the country is not being recommended at this time. Given the rapid global spread of the virus, it is no longer possible to assess health risks for the duration of the trip.

The Legislative Assembly of Alberta has also suspended tours and all public events.

New cases of COVID-19

Four additional cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the province. One of the confirmed cases is a two-year-old child from the Calgary zone who is now recovering at home.

The child who has tested positive for COVID-19 returned with their family from a vacation in Florida and developed mild symptoms once in Alberta. The child attended a local daycare from March 2-6 and tested positive on March 11.

The child is expected to make a full recovery.

As soon as the case tested positive, health officials took immediate action to protect the health of Albertans. On the advice of Alberta Health Services, the daycare has temporarily closed to limit exposure to the virus. All close contacts are self-isolating for 14 days while being monitored by health officials.

Any Albertan who has not been contacted directly by Alberta Health Services is not at risk.

The other three newly confirmed cases involve a woman in her thirties, a male in his fifties, and a woman in her seventies. They are all from the Calgary zone.

The travellers returned from travelling in Jordan, Egypt, France, Germany, and the United States, specifically Florida.

All Albertans are encouraged to visit alberta.ca/COVID19 for the latest information, guidance and resources.

Related information:

Multimedia

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From Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools:

Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools Board of Trustees have cancelled École Secondaire Notre Dame High School and St. Joseph High School international trips that were to occur over March spring break.

École Secondaire Notre Dame High School had planned two trips. One group of students was to travel to Germany, Croatia and Spain, while the other group was travelling solely in Spain. St. Joseph High School students were to visit Central Europe (Germany, Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary). All trips were to occur during March 18 – 29.

The decision was based on developing information from Alberta Health Services and Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health. The Board of Trustees felt this decision was important as the top priority is the health and safety of students and staff.

“We recognize that this decision may be disappointing for students and their families that have been saving for a long time to attend these trips. However, student and staff safety is of utmost concern and we must take the direction of Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health who is not recommending international travel. The Board also considered whether families would lose the money they had put towards these trips. Our students and their families purchased travel insurance or provided their own, so we are confident that they will be able to recoup the majority of the cost,” said Board Chair, Anne Marie Watson at Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools.

The division will continue to make decisions based on information from the World Health Organization, Government of Canada, Alberta Health Services and the Chief Medical Officer of Health.

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From the Canadian Hockey League:

The Canadian Hockey League and its three regional leagues the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and Western Hockey League, take the health and safety of our players, fans, volunteers, staff, and general public very seriously.

CHL President Dan MacKenzie with Commissioners David Branch, Gilles Courteau, and Ron Robison have been monitoring the situation in regards to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) including what local, provincial, and federal health agencies have recommended.

Following consultation with medical professionals and meetings today (March 12, 2020) among the CHL Executive Council, and regional league Board of Governors, the CHL announces that the balance of the 2019-20 season and all hockey activity shall be paused immediately until further notice.

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From Burman University:

 

 

From the Town of Sylvan Lake:

The Town of Sylvan Lake is closely following the COVID-19 situation. 

To prepare, and to try and prevent a local situation, we are implementing measures to protect the health of staff, residents, and visitors, including the following:

Events with an expected attendance of 250+, are cancelled, including:

  • This weekend’s planned “Meltdown” event, 
  • The Sylvan Lake Home & Lifestyle Show (April), and
  • The Town’s Volunteer Gala (April);

The Town of Sylvan Lake is expanding its efforts to ensure safe sanitization practices are followed at all Town facilities, and that such sanitization products are more readily available to the public within these facilities;

All business travel for Town staff is cancelled up to and including April 31, 2020.

At this time, the NexSource Centre is open, and scheduled programs within our facilities are not affected; however, we ask that residents follow the Town online (sylvanlake.ca/NewsHub and @TownofSylvanLake on Facebook), in the event of scheduling changes.

The Town of Sylvan Lake wishes to reiterate the key messages of Alberta Health Services, the Government of Alberta:

To protect yourself and others:

  • Use good hygiene practices, such as frequent handwashing
  • Cover coughs and sneezes
  • Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
  • Stay at home and away from others if you are feeling ill
  • If you have symptoms, stay home and call Health Link 811 for instructions

If you have symptoms and recently travelled outside Canada or were exposed to someone who has COVID-19, self-isolate - stay home and call Health Link 811 for instructions. Do not go to the ER.

If you need immediate medical attention, call 911 and inform them that you may have COVID-19.

Those interested in learning more about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) are encouraged to visit www.alberta.ca/covid19