Confirmed new cases drops below 50

Medicine Hat remains at 34 cases, eight now active and 26 recovered.

There are a total of 1,159 cases in the South Zone, an increase of nine.

As the province prepares to begin its reopening on Thursday, Alberta has launched a new web portal to give business owners more clarity on health and safety guidelines.

The alberta.ca/bizconnect webpage will provide for general workplaces and sector-specific guidelines for those able to open in stage one of relaunch to ensure businesses can reopen safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alberta’s staged relaunch strategy puts safety first as we gradually reopen the province and get people back to work,” said Tanya Fir, minister of economic development, trade and tourism. “Together Albertans’ efforts to adhere to public health guidelines have helped reduce the spread of the virus to allow for a gradual reopening of businesses, services and recreational opportunities.”

Planning documents to prepare businesses for stage one relaunch are posted for day camps, daycare and out-of-school care, hair salons and barbershops, museums and art galleries, outdoor recreation, places of worship, restaurants and retail.

Fir said information will continually be updated as the relaunch progresses.

The website also includes guidance documents for sectors currently allowed to operate under public health orders. Sectors include disability service providers, farmers markets, golf course operators, health non-essential services, health-care PPE guidelines, homeless shelters, industrial work camps and private/municipal campgrounds.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw said that even though small outbreaks are being confirmed and must be dealt with, moving to Stage 1 of the relaunch is still being considered for May 14.

“Much of the province has been successful at flattening the curve,” she said. “Hospitalizations and ICU admissions are down, recovered case numbers are up and I am encouraged to see fewer daily new cases than even one week ago.”

Hinshaw said much has changed in our society since the first restrictions were put in place two months ago and it will remain different for some time.

Our societal norms around hygiene and physical distancing are different today, she said.

“These will remain habits and in fact will become even more important as we leave our homes more often,” the chief medical officer of health said.

She added that even though cases are still being found, the testing and contact tracing abilities make it easier to discover and quickly get ahead of any potential spreads.

“We will advance to relaunch cautiously but we must proceed for our collective health and well being.”

Hinshaw revealed 4,659 recovered, leaving just 1,524 active cases in Alberta. About 74 per cent of the total cases are recovered.

There are currently 73 people in hospital with COVID-19, 12 of those in ICU.

There are two more deaths, both of which were at continuing care facilities in the North and Calgary Zones. Two previous deaths that were classified as COVID-19 deaths have been reclassified, leaving the total number of COVID-19 deaths at 117, said Hinshaw.

Among previously known outbreaks, there are 36 active cases at High River’s Cargill facility and 911 recovered, and the Harmony plant has 16 active cases and 22 recovered.

There are 102 active cases at continuing care facilities in Alberta and 542 recovered cases.

The province has begun putting a more detailed chart online for each zone.

The County of Newell has 13 cases, four active and nine recovered.

In Cypress County, they are reporting 10 cases of COVID-19, three active and seven recovered.

The County of Forty Mile and Municipal District of Taber each have two confirmed cases both listed as recovered.

Special Areas No. 2 has two confirmed cases, one recovered and one death.

The City of Lethbridge has 19 active cases, seven listed as active and 12 recovered. Lethbridge County has one recorded recovered case.

by Chris Brown

Confirmed new cases drops below 50

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