May 26, 2020
RE: COVID-19 Update 55 (New Information in BLUE)
Vulcan County Regional Emergency Management Partnership updates will now be release two (2) days a week. All updates moving forward will be released on Tuesday and Thursday of each week, unless urgent messaging comes from Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health or Government Officials during their daily updates.
Vulcan County Regional Emergency Management Partners are continuing to monitor the COVID-19 situation in Alberta. The latest Government of Alberta media releases can be found at https://www.alberta.ca/news.aspx
All Vulcan County Fire Halls are closed to the public until further notice. The municipal offices of Vulcan County, the villages of Arrowwood, Carmangay, Champion, Lomond and Milo remain closed to the public while business operations are continuing. The Town of Vulcan municipal office remains open, however, we are urging the public to use municipal websites, email and telephone to answer their inquiries.
While the number of daily confirmed cases is remaining relatively flat, it is imperative to follow proper personal hygiene and cleaning practices. Please follow these guidelines and watch your municipal websites for further updates.
Everyone, even persons not exhibiting symptoms or requiring mandatory self-isolation, is strongly encouraged to limit outings to a minimum and stay home; observe social distancing and avoid touching your face without first washing your hands.
The Vulcan County Regional Emergency Management Partnership has put together a series of videos on COVID-19 related themes:
The Government of Alberta is taking aggressive measures to slow the spread of COVID-19. Albertans are asked to be vigilant to prevent intensive care units from being overwhelmed.
For today, 22 new cases have been confirmed bringing the total to 6,901. Fatalities resulting from COVID-19 are 139. A total of 242,781 Albertans have been tested. There have been a total of 6,048 recoveries to date.
There continue to be no confirmed cases within Vulcan County or the urban municipalities within its region, although testing has been undertaken for those with symptoms. Vulcan County is in the Calgary Health Zone here 67% of all confirmed Covid-19 infections are located in Alberta.
Alberta uses modelling to anticipate the number of COVID-19 cases over the coming months. Revised modelling was provided on April 28th. This helps us make decisions and prepare hospitals to care for critical and acute patients. A Sprung Field Hospital has been completed at Foothills Hospital should the province realize a spike in Covid-19 hospitalizations.
Canada/US Border Closure
An agreement has been reached between Canada and the United States to keep the border closed to all non-essential travel for another month.
The extension on the existing agreement means that the border restrictions will stay in place until June 21, even as parts of both countries begin gradually reopening. The agreement, as it stands, exempts the flow of trade and commerce, as well as vital health-care workers such as nurses who live and work on opposite sides of the border. Tourists and cross-border visits remain prohibited.
Guidance on Outdoor Activities
With the weather warming up, everyone is eager to go outside for fresh air.
Albertans are encouraged to enjoy outdoor activities, as long as you follow all public health orders to protect yourself and others from the spread of COVID-19.
- Limit outdoor gatherings to no more than 50 people
- Stay home and away from others if exhibiting symptoms
- If participating in activities with people from outside your household or cohort family
- maintain a physical distance of 2 metres at all times
- refrain from sharing equipment
Federal Government
- Prime Minister Trudeau said Monday that he would push for the provinces to give workers 10 days of paid sick leave a year.
- Application are now being accepted for the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) for small businesses. Property owners will reduce rent by at least 75% for the months of April, May, and June, for their small business tenants. CECRA will cover 50% of the rent, with the tenant paying up to 25% and the property owner forgiving at least 25%.
- The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, announced that the federal government will support the launch of a four-week hotline service called the Business Resilience Service. This service will help entrepreneurs and small business owners in need of financial planning advice, particularly those who may not have access to an accountant. The service will also be open to not-for-profit organizations and charities. The hotline will offer bilingual services and operate seven days a week from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.
- Statistics Canada says retail sales in Canada posted their biggest monthly decline on record in March, with retail sales falling 10.0% to $47.1 billion as non-essential businesses began to shut their doors due to the pandemic.
- Statistics Canada also says a preliminary estimate for April indicates a 15.6% drop for the first full month of the pandemic.
Alberta
- The Government of Alberta is providing $26 million to support 82 new capital maintenance and renewal projects for seniors housing facilities. These projects will focus on the health and safety of residents, help keep units open, and contribute to the government’s “ring of defence around seniors” to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
- A new government survey is available to tenants and landlords via alberta.ca, and will help gauge any challenges they may be experiencing while working together to develop a payment schedule, paying their rent, or meeting other financial obligations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Places of worship preparing to re-open in Alberta should follow public health guidelines to ensure the health and safety of staff and visitors, including:
- Maintaining physical distancing;
- Holding services remotely; and
- Not sharing food, drink, or communal items.
811 Health Link
Once again, people experiencing 7symptoms are to take the online self-assessment. As a further reminder, 811-health link is for those who are feeling ill and seeking advice. DO NOT call 811 to report non-compliance of Public Health Orders; these can be reported to the Environmental Health Complaint Link or by calling (403) 943-2288.
If you, or someone you care about, are feeling overwhelmed with emotions like sadness, depression, or anxiety, or feel like you want to harm yourself or others
- Mental Health Help Line at 1-877-303-2643
- Addiction Help Line at 1-866-332-2322
Local Programs and Initiatives
Vulcan County – Health & Wellness Foundation
Vulcan – Medical Recruitment
Vulcan Regional Food Bank Society
Above information sourced from:
https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=70009006E7A24-0CB0-DB76-8FDE7FAC19DBB875