The latest:
- Large celebrations held yearly for Canada Day have been called off, but there are other activities — virtual and otherwise — still ongoing this July 1.
- Outdoor gathering limits were increased from 100 to 200 people on Tuesday for events like festivals, sporting events and performances, but not private gatherings like weddings.
- Alberta Safeway workers voted in favour of striking after the company ended its COVID-19 ‘hero pay’ program.
- Four outbreaks at Edmonton restaurants are responsible for 40 cases of COVID-19: Greta Bar (15 cases), Earl’s Tin Palace (6 cases), The Pint (10 cases) and Local (9 cases) on Jasper Avenue.
- An outbreak at a Calgary condo building, the Verve in East Village, has grown to 49 cases, 33 of which are active.
- Alberta will spend billions on infrastructure projects, cut its corporate tax rate, establish a new investment agency and introduce a series of targeted incentives for industry as part of a plan to restart its battered economy.
- A backlog of cattle waiting to be processed at meatpacking plants has put Alberta cattle ranchers in a tough position.
- The province reported 41 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, for a total of 547 active cases.
- Two areas in Alberta are under “watch” as their active cases have surpassed a rate of 50 per 100,000 people: Calgary-Centre and Edmonton-Mill Woods West.
What you need to know today in Alberta:
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said the province has decided to increase its outdoor gathering limits, just in time for Canada Day, because it was seeing little community transmission of COVID-19 at public outdoor events.
Toronto’s city council has voted to make non-medical masks mandatory indoors, and Hinshaw said Alberta municipalities can look at their own circumstances and take appropriate measures.
Small to mid-sized businesses, co-operatives and non-profits impacted by COVID-19 were able to apply for grant relief on Monday morning — but some are saying that while the support is welcome, it won’t be enough on its own.
The Alberta government’s blueprint to reboot the economy was announced Monday in Calgary.
Alberta will increase spending on infrastructure projects, cut its corporate tax rate and establish a new investment agency as part of a plan to restart its battered economy.
Alberta reported 41 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday.
In all, 154 people have died of COVID-19 in Alberta.
As of Tuesday, there are 547 active cases and 7,407 recovered in the province. The province has completed more than 449,000 tests for COVID-19.
Here’s how the active cases break down within provincial zones:
- Edmonton zone: 246 cases.
- Calgary zone: 232 cases.
- North zone: 36 cases.
- South zone: 28 cases.
- Central zone: 4 cases
- Unknown: 1 case.
What you need to know today in Canada:
Large-scale Canada Day events across the country have been cancelled, including the celebration and firewalks held yearly at Parliament Hill. Instead, a show was streamed live and will be followed by virtual fireworks.
Canada’s economy shrank by 11.6 per cent in April, the biggest plunge on record, following March’s contraction of 7.5 per cent as COVID-19 lockdowns began.
For the past few months, WestJet has barred the sale of adjacent seats throughout entire planes and Air Canada has followed suit in economy class. Those practices are set to end tomorrow.
As of 2:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Canada had 104,271 confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases. Provinces and territories listed 67,746 of the cases as recovered or resolved. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial reports, regional health information and CBC’s reporting stood at 8,663. Wednesday’s tally did not include Ontario cases because of the Canada Day holiday.
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 10 days from the onset of symptoms.
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.
