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Stories behind those living in the northeast, where infection rates are ‘out of hand’

A look inside a family home, making sacrifices and still at risk, while balancing making a living with keeping everyone safe.

CALGARY (CityNews) – It’s not the workspace Bobby Virdi would have ever guessed he’d be sharing.

He does I.T. work at home in northeast Calgary–where coronavirus infection rates are soaring– with his two sons in online classes beside him.

The family made that decision for Virdi and the kids to stay home to keep his elderly parents safe but his wife still goes to work at a southeast Amazon location.

“It is worrisome because she is in that warehouse environment. If there’s one case that’s positive and that can just come home,” said Virdi.

Experts point to more transit users, essential workers and crowded schools and several people living in homes.

“It already has got out of hand, it’s just not showing on the records,” said Dr. Preet Pal Singh Sekhon with APEX – Sky Medical Clinic.

“So one per cent are positive, seven per cent are sitting at the house without getting a test because that one per cent was supposed to transport them. Those seven per cent can only take the bus.”

WATCH: Living in a multigenerational home in a pandemic

An anti-racism organization credits the federal CERB program for supporting working-class families but said they also need help from other levels of government.

“Core issue is not the culture, core issue is not that they’re not following protocol…it’s all based on the income,” said Asjad Bukhari with the Canadian Cultural Mosaic Foundation.

“Life is more important, health is more important and were living [staying] at home. When that support stops, they had to earn for the family. the provincial government, to be honest, did nothing other than lip service.”

While many are grappling with upcoming Christmas plans, Sikhs and Hindus already had one of their most significant religious holidays about two weeks ago. Making some wonder if Diwali gatherings and temple visits played a role in the spike in cases.

Those celebrations came before Alberta cut religious gatherings to one-third capacity and physicians feel even stricter measures should have been in place weeks ago.

“The government should have taken proactive action and tried to protect our people in at least the NE quadrant,” said Sekhon. “The lockdown should have been initiated.”

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