Update provided by the Government of Alberta, March 12th:

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 HealthNew 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.

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“I want to assure Albertans that all of these cases are travel related. This means that our existing recommendations are particularly important. I want to remind all Albertans that if you are returning from outside of Canada you should closely monitor your health for fourteen days,” explained Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw.

She urges those who have traveled and start to experience a fever or cough to self-isolate and call the health-link at 811. Hinshaw recommends that people do not go to an emergency care centre, or doctor’s office to keep the spread of the infection to a minimum and away from public areas. 

So far, Hinshaw is confident in Alberta’s management of the infection. 

“The fact that all the confirmed cases are travel-related also indicates that we continue to take the right approach at this time. Our public health measures have done exactly what they needed to do,” said Hinshaw.

She believes the new confirmed cases means the number of infections will likely increase in the coming weeks. However, public health officials are following up on each individual case and all contacts and making sure that everyone in contact with an infected person is informed and stays home for fourteen days to monitor themselves. So far, there has not been any spread from within Alberta.

The Chief Medical Officer of Health asks everyone who is feeling ill regardless of whether or not they have traveled to stay out of public spaces such as hospitals, long-term care facilities, or supportive living accommodations.

“Many people who get COVID-19 will experience minor symptoms and will recover on their own but others are at risk of serious complications. In particular, COVID-19 can be extremely serious and even fatal for seniors and those with underlying health conditions. Even people who are otherwise healthy can sometimes have severe disease,” said Hinshaw. 

For places such as schools, long-term, care facilities, and other public spaces the Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services are currently developing new precautionary methods. 

As the risk around the world continues to increase, she asks Albertans who are traveling in the coming weeks to consider traveling recommendations provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada. 

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.

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