By Canadian Press

Doctor says Alberta restrictions not enough to reduce COVID-19 strain on hospitals

Nov 25, 2020 | 12:17 PM

EDMONTON – An emergency room doctor in Edmonton says Alberta’s public health restrictions don’t go far enough to deal with rising COVID-19 cases that are straining the health-care system.

The province brought in tighter restrictions on Tuesday that include a ban on gatherings in people’s homes and changes for schools, churches, restaurants and retailers.

Dr. Shazma Mithani, who works in the emergency departments at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and Stollery Children’s Hospital, says the measures simply turn some earlier recommendations into rules.

The only appropriate step, Mithani says, is not having indoor gatherings which she suggests should have happened long ago.

Mithani notes people are still allowed to gather indoors at arge places of worship and in bars, casinos and restaurants.

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She says the decisions don’t appear to be based on science, since contact tracing has broken down and up to 80 per cent of cases have no information about where they were contracted.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2020.

The Canadian Press