17 new cases were announced in Alberta on Sunday and the government suspended all K-12 and post-secondary classes, and day care centres, after discovering community spread has developed..Post-secondary and K-12 classes are suspended immediately as well as all licenced day care centres and before and after school programs..There are now 56 cases in Alberta with 14 of the newly identified cases from Calgary and three in Edmonton..Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health said the decision was just made in the last couple of hours and more information would be forthcoming..She said she understands that the cancellation of schools and care facilities will be difficult for parents but that the decision was not made lightly..“I made this decision after extensive discussion with school boards and in consideration of the cases of community transmission that were identified over the weekend,” Hinshaw said..“To be clear, we are not ‘closing schools’. Teachers and other school staff should continue to come to their schools to plan potential alternatives for students, particularly those in grade 12.”.“I ask parents to keep their children from gathering in large groups as the purpose of this recommendation is to prevent the spread of the virus.”.Hinshaw said she recommended that aggressive new public health measures be implemented across the province after the identification of the new cases in the last 24 hours..“Two of the individuals are receiving treatment in hospital and are in stable condition,” Hinshaw said..“The other 15 cases are self-isolating at home and are expected to make a full recovery.”.Hinshaw said there were concerning elements as seven of the new cases stemmed from a single gathering in the Calgary zone..“This underlines the fact that gatherings can accelerate spread of the virus,” she said..“In addition, at least two of the cases within the last two days appear to have been acquired from an unknown source. This means we are likely seeing community transmission in Alberta.”.Community transmission happens when the infection cannot be traced to a known case or travel. Hinshaw said that previous cases were traced back to travel or people who had traveled..“These two cases mean that there are other cases in the community that we have not identified increasing the likelihood that Albertans may be exposed within their communities ,” she said..Premier Jason Kenney was also in attendance..“We believe we have reached an inflection point in the progression of this pandemic in Alberta,” Premier Jason Kenney said during the scheduled update Sunday afternoon..“For at least some of the new cases over the weekend, public health officials have not confirmed travel history or close contact with a traveler. This indicates community spread, however follow-up investigations are continuing.”.Kenney said that international travel is the key element to transmission and that all visitors must abide by the recommendations coming from the government of Canada. He added that all non-essential travel should be cancelled..“We are all responsible for each other’s health at this time,” Kenney said..The government of Alberta will also be increasing the health budget by an additional $500 million to help respond to health requirements..The government is also recommending new regulations for long-term care centres to limit visitation and help prevent the spread where those who are most susceptible to complications are..Seniors and those with pre-existing health conditions are at the most risk of complications with COVID-19 infections..These steps are essential to protect Albertans, Hinshaw said..Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean is a Senior Reporter with Western Standard.dmaclean@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter @Mitchell_AB
