Alberta woke up Monday morning to a new, unfortunate normal for people around the globe: all schools from kindergarten to post-secondary are closed, as well as any gathering over 250 is cancelled to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

School boards are currently working hard on figuring out a way to deliver the rest of their fall semester to their students. In the meantime, parents who are looking for child care can hopefully take advantage of some older students who are also out of school and looking for babysitting opportunities.

A number of local municipalities have also put out statements, with many of them closing all municipal buildings in order to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

As per the Alberta Governments statement, any gathering that is expected to attract over 50 people have been cancelled. So if you have an event coming up that will likely exceed those limits, it's likely to be cancelled until further notice.

The Alberta Government has also promised $500 million to the COVID-19 response. This money will go towards ensuring front-line health care professionals have the proper tools they require for testing, monitoring, and treating patients. Practicing good hygiene by doing simple things like washing your hands regularly and coughing or sneezing into your elbow are effective ways to fight the spread of COVID-19.

The Alberta Government is also limiting access to its provincial parks at this time, with some places closing temporarily, while others are done for the season.

Jason Kenney also said that they will be amending the Employment Standards Code by implementing paid job-protected leave to cover employees if they need to self-isolate, or if they need to care for a loved one who's infected with COVID-19. More details on this announcement are expected in the near future.

Here is a list of municipalities that have closed public venues and other information regarding COVID-19: 

The City of Grande Prairie

The County of Grande Prairie are also following suit and have cancelled programs and public places.

The MD of Greenview have facilites also closed and programs cancelled.

City of Dawson Creek

City of Fort St John