Social gatherings limited to 15 people in Calgary and Edmonton
Posted Oct 26, 2020 6:40 pm.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) — Alberta health officials have imposed a mandatory 15-person limit on social gatherings in Calgary and Edmonton after recording a surge in new COVID-19 cases.
“You have heard me say many times that we need to achieve a balance between minimizing the risk of COVID-19 and minimizing the risk of harms of restrictions,” Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, said during Monday’s COVID-19 update.
“This requires us to keep the spread of COVID-19 manageable. We have now crossed a tipping point and are losing the balance we have been seeking.”
BREAKING:
Edmonton and Calgary now has a *mandatory* 15 person limit, according to Dr. Hinshaw. #yeg #yyc #ableg #covid19ab
— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) October 26, 2020
Over the weekend, the province recorded 1,440 new infections pushing active cases in the Calgary zone to 1,549 and 2,179 in Edmonton.
The new limit applies to “mixing and mingling” gatherings including dinner parties, birthday parties, social events, wedding and funeral receptions.
This also applies to special events such as retirement events and baby showers.
The limit doesn’t apply to restaurants or organized social events like a wedding ceremony or funeral.
“This 15-person limit is temporary. It will be reassessed after one month and can be lifted if we see our growth rate, or R-value, decline below one and new case numbers consistently below 100 in each city,”
Weekend COVID-19 numbers in Alberta:
– 1,440 new cases since Friday
– seven new deaths (total 307)
– 4,477 active cases
-118 in hospital, 16 in ICU
– 20,949 recoveries pic.twitter.com/c5eHPl4pnk— Jeff Slack (@Jeffslack660) October 26, 2020
A $1,000 fine will be issued for failing to comply with the health orders.
Voluntary health measures including wearing a mask at working and reducing cohorts to three were introduced in Calgary. These are the same measures introduced in Edmonton a few weeks ago.
“The measures are not being taken lightly and I know they will impact many, but they are necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19 from continuing to escalate,” Hinshaw said.
“Due to COVID-19 incubation period, it will likely be one to two weeks before we can begin accessing the impact of these health measures.”
No additional measures are being implemented in communities surrounding Calgary.
