The latest:
- Alberta Health reported 77 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the total number of active cases in the province to 592. That’s the highest single day rise since May.
- No new deaths were reported Friday.
- No new numbers will be released by the province this weekend. New numbers for Saturday and Sunday will be included in Monday’s update.
- The NHL is officially back, and Edmonton will serve as a hub city.
- Canada added almost one million jobs in June, but that’s still down almost two million from pre-pandemic levels. Alberta added nearly 92,000 jobs.
- The City of Calgary reopened four aquatic and fitness centres on Friday: Bob Bahan Aquatic & Fitness Centre, Canyon Meadows Aquatic & Fitness Centre, Glenmore Aquatic Centre and Killarney Aquatic & Recreation Centre.
- The Calgary International Airport faces a $67 million deficit this year.
What you need to know today in Alberta:
Alberta Health reported 77 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the total number of active cases to 592.
Friday’s numbers were the highest daily numbers reported since May. Should numbers continue to rise, some politicians — including Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi — may give mandatory mask bylaws a second look.
Nenshi himself has mused about the possibility of making masks mandatory in certain situations and says he could bring forward a draft bylaw on July 20.
Meanwhile, Edmonton has been chosen as a hub city for the NHL’s return, with the league choosing cities that largely have their coronavirus outbreaks under control when compared to United States counterparts.
In its latest online update, Alberta Health reported 77 new cases of the illness on Friday, bringing the total number of active cases to 592.
Here’s the breakdown of active cases across the province:
- Calgary zone: 228
- Edmonton zone: 203
- South zone: 96
- North zone: 44
- Central zone: 13
- Unknown: 8
What you need to know today in Canada:
Newfoundland and Labrador has reported its first new case of coronavirus in 43 days. The patient is a man in his 50s who had recently returned from the United States, according to the government.
Meanwhile, dire new numbers out of some of Canada’s hardest-hit nursing homes in Quebec and Ontario reveal that those facilities lost 40 per cent of residents to COVID-19 in just three months.
As of 7 a.m. ET on Saturday, Canada had 107,125 confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases. Provinces and territories listed 70,901 of those as recovered or resolved. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial reports, regional health information and CBC’s reporting stood at 8,801.
Self-assessment and supports:
Alberta Health Services has an online self-assessment tool that you can use to determine if you have symptoms of COVID-19, but testing is open to anyone, even without symptoms.
The province says Albertans who have returned to Canada from other countries must self-isolate. Unless your situation is critical and requires a call to 911, Albertans are advised to call Health Link at 811 before visiting a physician, hospital or other health-care facility.
If you have symptoms, even mild, you are to self-isolate for at least 10 days from the onset of symptoms, until the symptoms have disappeared.
You can find Alberta Health Services’ latest coronavirus updates here.
The province also operates a confidential mental health support line at 1-877-303-2642 and addiction help line at 1-866-332-2322, available from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week.
Online resources are available for advice on handling stressful situations and ways to talk with children.
There is a 24-hour family violence information line at 310-1818 to get anonymous help in more than 170 languages, and Alberta’s One Line for Sexual Violence is available at 1-866-403-8000, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
