By Chris Brown

New restrictions announced

103 active COVID-19 cases in Medicine Hat

Nov 24, 2020 | 5:11 PM

Medicine Hat has 103 active cases of COVID-19, the province has 13,349 and Premier Jason Kenney announced new restrictions as Alberta attempts to get a handle on the rising cases across the province.

Kenney called the measures bold and targetted to combat the “once-in-a-century public health challenge” that has impacted “every one of us in many different ways.”

The province declared a public health emergency.

Restrictions across Alberta include no indoor social gatherings and outdoor social gatherings limited to a maximum of 10 people. Kenney said gatherings in the home continue to be the largest source of transmission.

“No indoor social gatherings will be permitted, period,” he said.

Young minds, big ideas: Elementary students learn about urban planning with 'Box City'

16h ago

HERE'S WHAT TO KNOW

Summer pool hours extended and discounts applied as Big Marble Go Centre upgrades start

Apr 18, 2024

Medicine Hat company drawing in clients with witty signage

Apr 16, 2024

Funeral and wedding ceremonies are limited to 10 attendees.

There effective immediately, mandatory, and will be in place until further notice, Health Minister Tyler Shandro said.

The premier said the restrictions will be enforced and those who break the rules will be subject to fines.

Other new measures – some targeted at specific municipalities and for specific time periods – restrict attendance at religious services, retail businesses and restaurants and a move to online learning for students.

Kenney said the measures are being taken now so they can be reviewed before Christmas. But said if these measures don’t have meaningful impact, more drastic measures to protect the health care system will be needed. The measures are to be addressed in three weeks.

There are nine new cases in the city in Tuesday’s update.

The city now has 228 total cases – the 103 active, 123 recovered and there have been two deaths.

Across the province, there are 13,349 active cases, up 183 from Monday, and 35,695 recovered cases, up 916. There were 1,115 new cases in Tuesday’s update.

Alberta has had 49,536 total cases over the course of the pandemic.

There are now 348 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, 66 of which are in ICU, and 492 deaths.

The province completed 13,576 tests in the past 24 hours.

Kenney said everyone must do their part to limit community spread.

“If there is widespread community transmission of this virus, it does and will get into nursing homes and other places where many of the vulnerable elderly live,” he said.

He said the health system must also be protected.

“If we do not slow the sharp rise of both hospitalizations and ICU admissions, they will threaten our ability to continue delivering health services that we all rely on,” he said, adding that’s already happening in the Edmonton region.

Medicine Hat remains on the provincial “Watch” list and is in enhanced status. In enhanced status, risk levels require enhanced public health measures to control the spread and are informed by local context.

Regions are placed on the province’s “Watch” list when they have a rate of more than 50 active cases per 100,000 population. Medicine Hat’s 103 active cases among 68,057 people puts it at a rate of 151.3.

Cypress County with a rate of 347.6 on 39 active cases and the County of Forty Mile with a rate of 310.4 on 20 active cases are also on the list.

Brooks (238.4 rate), the County of Newell (271.8), Lethbridge (172.7) Lethbridge County (285.4) and the MD of Taber (519.5) are also on the list.

All those regions are also in enhanced status.

There are 3,559 cases in the South Zone. There are 649 active cases and 2,870 recovered. There are currently 25 COVID-19 cases in hospital in the South Zone, five in the ICU. The death total in the zone is at 40.

Medicine Hat Regional Hospital has seven COVID-19 patients with two of those in ICU. Chinook Regional Hospital has 15, with three of those in ICU. Brooks Health Centre has three patients.

On Tuesday there are 182 schools in the province where outbreaks have been declared. Alberta Health’s threshold for declaring an outbreak in school is two cases being in a school while infectious within 14 days.

Eastbrook Elementary School in Brooks is on the school “Watch” list.

Crestwood School, Prairie Mennonite Alternative School and Medicine Hat High School are on outbreak.

The website Support Our Students is tracking instances of cases in schools across the province. Crescent Heights High School in Medicine Hat and St. Joseph’s Collegiate in Brooks were added to the list in the past two days.

A case was also reported over the weekend at Monsignor McCoy High School and at Brooks Junior High School.

Cypress County has totaled 113 cases – 39 active cases and the rest recovered.

The County of Forty Mile has 96 total cases. There are 20 active cases, 75 recovered and there has been one death.

The MD of Taber has 204 total cases — 98 active cases, 104 recovered and there have been two deaths.

Special Areas No. 2 has 18 total cases – one active and the rest recovered.

Brooks has 1,271 total cases — 46 active and 1,212 are recovered. Brooks has recorded 13 deaths.

The County of Newell has a total of 96 cases — 22 active cases, 72 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The County of Warner has 98 total cases. There are 17 active cases, 80 are recovered cases and there has been one death in the county.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 886 cases. There are 171 active cases, 708 recovered and there have been seven deaths. Lethbridge County has 295 cases, 72 active cases, 221 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The figures on alberta.ca are “up-to-date as of end of day Nov. 23, 2020.”

Read the full Nov. 24 update from the province here.

Saskatchewan confirmed 175 new cases of COVID-19 since on Tuesday, 16 in the South Zones.

Saskatchewan has a total of 6,883 cases, 2,927 considered active. There are 3,919 recovered cases and there have been 37 COVID-19 deaths in the province.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is expected to announce further measures on Wednesday to address the growing number of COVID-19 cases.