Dr. Hinshaw says that our number of cases continue to trend downwards, largely due to the sacrifices Albertans have made. One of these is not being able to visit people in the hospital.   

Effective tomorrow, updated hospital visitation guidelines will come into effect. Restrictions remain in effect for continuing care centres.   

ow at albertahealthservices.ca. 

Dr. Hinshaw says that as we prepare for stage two we will need to keep up our basic protective measures such as hand hygiene and social distancing so we can keep our numbers stable.   

She highlighted two key objectives for our pandemic response: enhanced testing and protecting each other.  

Testing is crucial to discover cases before they can spread. Even if you aren’t experiencing symptoms, Dr. Hinshaw says to get tested as this will help us keep our numbers low.   

Contact tracing is essential to this process as well, and Dr. Hinshaw reminds Albertans to download the AB TraceTogether app, which help identify sources of potential exposure. If you encounter someone with COVID-19 it increases the chances of you being notified. The app is voluntary, free, and does not use GPS or your information without permission.   

On protecting each other, over 90% of deaths and around two thirds of those who needed to be admitted to ICU had one underlying health issue. Older age is also a common characteristic. The province has taken additional measures to protect those at risk, but these by themselves are not enough.   

Many of those at risk are living in the community, not just continuing care centres. Keeping seniors locked down in continuing care long term also has negative effects on their health. Dr. Hinshaw says that when each takes pride in their individual actions to keep each other safe, it helps the community. We are still all in this together. 

Watch the full update here: