EDMONTON — As pressure mounts on the Alberta government to tackle rising cases of COVID-19, the province has moved towards some further restrictions on socializing and exercise classes that will start Friday and last for two weeks.
The announcement comes as more than 400 doctors — joined by health-care unions — have once again called on the government to institute a “circuit breaker” — short, sharp lockdowns — and suggested other measures to bring down surging case counts.
“We have reached a juncture where only strong and decisive mandatory measures can prevent our hospitals from becoming overwhelmed,” says the open letter.
At a Thursday afternoon press conference, Premier Jason Kenney and Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province’s chief medical officer of health, didn’t go that far. Instead, they announced the cancellation of group fitness classes, team sports, amateur choir activities and a halt on serving alcohol in bars after 10 p.m. in areas where there are outbreaks, including Edmonton and Calgary.
“COVID is starting to win and we cannot let that happen,” said Kenney, who was speaking from home in self-isolation after coming into contact with a positive case on Monday. “This two-week push is, I believe, our last chance to avoid more restrictive measures that I and most Albertans desperately want to avoid.”
Kenney’s COVID-19 test came back negative later in the day.
The Alberta government is still calling on Albertans to be personally responsible for curbing the spread and to avoid hosting gatherings in their homes.
On Thursday, 51 of the 70 designated intensive care units beds set aside for COVID-19 patients were occupied across Alberta, with 225 people hospitalized from the virus. There were outbreaks in 169 schools, with 842 active cases.
Across the province, there are 8,300 active cases; Alberta added 860 new COVID cases Thursday and 10 more people have died. Daily case counts have been setting new records in recent weeks as the pandemic spreads through social gatherings, and contract tracers have struggled to keep up with the new caseloads.
“This is deeply concerning,” said Hinshaw. “We must reduce the growth of COVID-19 and we must do it soon.”
Among the active COVID-19 cases, there are more than 400 health-care workers who have tested positive; out of all-time cases in the province, more than 2,600 have fallen ill.
The first open letter from doctors pitching the idea of a “circuit breaker” to the province came earlier this week. A second letter on Thursday, signed by approximately 430 doctors, also suggested specific measures such as working from home, and shutdowns on physical activities and indoor socializing in bars and restaurants.
Dr. Leyla Asadi, an infectious diseases doctor and one of the letter’s signatories, explained the purpose of the letter was to give recommendations that could help bring down the spread of COVID-19.
“We see the toll that COVID is taking within our hospitals and we also see what’s happening in other jurisdictions,” she said. “We wanted Premier Kenney to hear our plea for help for the health system.”
Officials have been resistant to the idea there should be new and more stringent lockdown measures put in place, in part because of the economic risks and in part because public health statistics show very few cases can be tied back to public places such as restaurants and bars, for example.
That said, the origins of some 40 per cent of all cases haven’t been identified, and Asadi said, other jurisdictions suggest restaurants and bars are places where COVID spread, because they’re indoor spaces where people don’t wear masks.
“So, if they’re from an unknown source, why don’t we think that it could be these places?” Asadi said.
Other provinces, including Manitoba and British Columbia, have moved towards strict, temporary shutdowns to try and get case counts down.
“The way we’re going, I fear that by not instituting some mandatory measures now, we’re inevitably hurtling towards a severe lockdown anyway, and that’s what I’m hoping we can prevent by acting more proactively with these measures,” said Asadi.
Still, Kenney cautioned Thursday, there will be more stringent measures if the temporary measures don’t bring the case counts down.
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