Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information – Friday March 26, 2020 – to be updated as warranted
ALBERTA HAS DECLARED A STATE OF PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY
The M.D. of Smoky River, towns of Falher & McLennan, villages of Donnelly & Girouxville in coordination with the Smoky Region Emergency Services are closely following the lead from the Province on the issue of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). We would like to ensure clear and concise information is available.
COVID-19 has been confirmed in the Region. Alberta still has relatively few cases, the most likely means of spread into the area is still with someone who is returning from travel outside Canada. Alberta has implemented:
- Mandatory 14-day self-isolation for returning international travellers or close contacts of people with confirmed COVID-19.
- Mandatory 10-day self-isolation for people with symptoms that are not related to a pre-existing illness or health condition: cough, fever, shortness of breath, runny nose or sore throat.
- If you, or a person you are responsible for experiences COVID-19 symptoms you must self-isolate for at least 10 days.
- For information take the COVID-19 Self-Assessment and if necessary call 811 and follow their instructions
- If you are unable to get through to 811, try calling very late (after midnight)
- Symptoms can include: Fever, Cough, Difficulty breathing
To protect yourself and to help prevent the possible spread of COVID-19, as well as the flu and common cold:
- Wash your hands often and well, use sanitizer whenever possible
- Avoid touching your face, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
- Clean and disinfect surfaces that are frequently touched
- Stay at home and away from others if you are feeling ill
- When sick, cover your cough and sneezes and then wash your hands
- Avoid unnecessary contact; bump elbows instead of hugging, bumping fists or shaking hands
- If you must go out in public, keep your distance – stay 2 metres from other people whenever possible, planned gatherings with more than 50 people must be cancelled
Restrictions that are currently in place include:
- Gatherings are limited to no more than 50 attendees. This includes worship gatherings and family events such as weddings. Grocery stores, shopping centres, health-care facilities, airports, the legislature and other essential services are not included.
- To limit the amount of time Albertans are spending in large crowds and crowded spaces, all Albertans are prohibited from attending public recreational facilities and private entertainment facilities, including gyms, swimming pools, arenas, science centres, museums, art galleries, community centres, children’s play centres, casinos, racing entertainment centres, and bingo halls.
- Sit-down restaurants, cafés, coffee shops, food courts and other food-serving facilities, including those with a minors-allowed liquor license, are limited to 50 per cent capacity to a maximum of 50 people. Take-out, delivery or drive-through service is permitted. Licensed facilities will also be permitted to deliver liquor.
- At this time, not-for-profit community kitchens, soup kitchens and religious kitchens are exempt, but sanitization practices are expected to be in place and support will be in place for this practice.
- Until further notice, all Albertans are restricted from attending bars and nightclubs, where minors are prohibited by law.
To view up-to-date information and statistics on COVID-19 in Alberta please visit the Government of Alberta Website: https://www.alberta.ca/coronavirus-info-for-albertans.aspx
It is always an excellent idea to have an Emergency Kit in your house to allow self-sufficiency for a minimum of 72 hours. At minimum a household should always have a 3-day supply of water and non-perishable food on-hand. Follow this “Build an emergency kit” link for more information.
Links:
Symptoms: https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/topics/Page16997.aspx#sign
Build an Emergency Kit: https://www.alberta.ca/build-an-emergency-kit.aspx
Covid-19 Self-Assessment: https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Journey/COVID-19/Pages/COVID-Self-Assessment.aspx
Self-Isolation: https://www.alberta.ca/self-isolation.aspx
