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Alberta handing out masks at drive-thrus – Canada News – Castanet.net

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Alberta is planning to distribute 20 million non-medical masks for free at hundreds of drive-thru fast-food restaurants.

Health Minister Tyler Shandro says it’s one more way to keep Albertans safe as the economy reopens following shutdowns forced by COVID-19.

“As the province relaunches and we all adapt to our new normal, we all may sometimes find ourselves where physical distancing may not be possible,” Shandro told a news conference Friday.

“For example, riding transit in the province or shopping … where it may be difficult to maintain two metres between people at all times.

“Mask use is not mandatory, but we would like Albertans to have the option of wearing a mask if they choose.”

Shandro said that starting in early June, people will be able to use drive-thru lanes at McDonald’s, A&W and Tim Hortons to pick up single use, three-layer, non-medical masks designed to filter germs and pollution particles.

The masks come in packages of four, and one package will be handed out per person.

No food purchase is necessary to obtain them, said Shandro, and no money is going to the restaurant chains for pick-up or distribution.

At just below $1 per mask, the province is spending just under $2 million on the project. About $350,000 will be spent on getting masks to remote areas that don’t have those restaurants.

But Shandro said 95 per cent of Albertans live within 10 kilometres of a drive-thru. The participating businesses have about 600 drive-thrus in the province.

He said the masks can be picked up only in drive-thru lanes, not inside the restaurant, to maintain physical distancing.

He acknowledged that four masks per person is not enough in the long term, but will help some people get through the crunch of the crisis and that Albertans are encouraged to source their own masks in the future.

Asked how he hopes to prevent hoarding, Shandro said, “We’re not asking for folks to bring in their health-care card and get it punched to show they’ve already picked up.

“This is on the honour system.”

He said it’s acceptable for people to pick up masks on behalf of those who can’t do so in person.

Tanya Doucette, who operates eight Tim Hortons franchises in central Alberta, said customers were understanding when her staff closed in-store service and moved to drive-thru and delivery service only.

She expects the same will happen as they continue reopening in-store service to half capacity and begin distributing masks.

“We won’t be asking our team members to police the program. We’ll just ask them to follow the guidelines as they are set out by the province,” said Doucette in an interview.

“I think we can count on Albertans to utilize the program in the spirit it is meant.”

Alberta has completed the first phase of its economic relaunch. Retail shops, restaurants, day cares, barber shops, hair salons, farmers markets and places of worship have reopened with some conditions.

Outdoor gatherings are currently limited to 50 people, and indoor gatherings to 15.

The next phase is scheduled to begin June 19 with the reopening of stage and movie theatres, spas and services like manicures, pedicures and massages.

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Netflix’s subscriber growth slows as gains from password-sharing crackdown subside

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Netflix on Thursday reported that its subscriber growth slowed dramatically during the summer, a sign the huge gains from the video-streaming service’s crackdown on freeloading viewers is tapering off.

The 5.1 million subscribers that Netflix added during the July-September period represented a 42% decline from the total gained during the same time last year. Even so, the company’s revenue and profit rose at a faster pace than analysts had projected, according to FactSet Research.

Netflix ended September with 282.7 million worldwide subscribers — far more than any other streaming service.

The Los Gatos, California, company earned $2.36 billion, or $5.40 per share, a 41% increase from the same time last year. Revenue climbed 15% from a year ago to $9.82 billion. Netflix management predicted the company’s revenue will rise at the same 15% year-over-year pace during the October-December period, slightly than better than analysts have been expecting.

The strong financial performance in the past quarter coupled with the upbeat forecast eclipsed any worries about slowing subscriber growth. Netflix’s stock price surged nearly 4% in extended trading after the numbers came out, building upon a more than 40% increase in the company’s shares so far this year.

The past quarter’s subscriber gains were the lowest posted in any three-month period since the beginning of last year. That drop-off indicates Netflix is shifting to a new phase after reaping the benefits from a ban on the once-rampant practice of sharing account passwords that enabled an estimated 100 million people watch its popular service without paying for it.

The crackdown, triggered by a rare loss of subscribers coming out of the pandemic in 2022, helped Netflix add 57 million subscribers from June 2022 through this June — an average of more than 7 million per quarter, while many of its industry rivals have been struggling as households curbed their discretionary spending.

Netflix’s gains also were propelled by a low-priced version of its service that included commercials for the first time in its history. The company still is only getting a small fraction of its revenue from the 2-year-old advertising push, but Netflix is intensifying its focus on that segment of its business to help boost its profits.

In a letter to shareholder, Netflix reiterated previous cautionary notes about its expansion into advertising, though the low-priced option including commercials has become its fastest growing segment.

“We have much more work to do improving our offering for advertisers, which will be a priority over the next few years,” Netflix management wrote in the letter.

As part of its evolution, Netflix has been increasingly supplementing its lineup of scripted TV series and movies with live programming, such as a Labor Day spectacle featuring renowned glutton Joey Chestnut setting a world record for gorging on hot dogs in a showdown with his longtime nemesis Takeru Kobayashi.

Netflix will be trying to attract more viewer during the current quarter with a Nov. 15 fight pitting former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson against Jake Paul, a YouTube sensation turned boxer, and two National Football League games on Christmas Day.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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