There are now 39 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Alberta.
The Government of Alberta announced 10 new cases Saturday afternoon – six in the Calgary zone and four in the Edmonton zone.
Two of the new cases, one in the Edmonton Zone and the other in Calgary Zone, have been admitted into intensive care. All other new cases are self-isolating at home and expected to make a full recovery.
Eight of the new cases have been confirmed to be related to international travel or to a previously confirmed case. Investigations are ongoing on the remaining two cases.
On Friday, Alberta recommended that schools remain open at this time. The World Health Organization does not recommend school closures as the only way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in children.
A conference call was held Saturday with Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the chief medical officer of health, and more than 500 representatives from Alberta’s school boards, school authorities, and education stakeholders.
Alberta will continue to monitor the province’s situation carefully. If the situation warrants it, the government could direct the closure of an individual school, a group of schools, an entire school division or all schools in the province. This would be a decision of Cabinet’s emergency management committee.
“Given the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, we know parents, students, and school officials are very concerned,” said Hinshaw.
“I want to assure all Albertans that their children’s safety is top of mind in all our decisions, and we are making the best public health decisions we can with the information we have, in this rapidly developing situation. We are prepared to make changes if and when the situation warrants it.”
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