Pressure continues to mount on Alberta Premier Jason Kenney to take bigger and stronger action to fight the spread of COVID-19.
On Saturday, health authorities reported 1,026 cases in the province–the highest one-day total since the pandemic began.
On Sunday, 991 more cases were reported, bringing the province’s total to 9,618 active cases.
In a series of tweets on Saturday, Tom Sampson, the head of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency, described the rising infections as an incoming tsunami.
1/4 They say people will stand on shore and watch a tsunami coming in. Those who are enlightened will have headed for the hills when the first alarm is sounded or the water first retreats, pic.twitter.com/Ul1KbpYQAu
— Tom Sampson (@iceTyyc) November 15, 2020
On Sunday, Sampson told CBC News, Alberta had hit a turning point in the coronavirus fight and called for a 28-day “circuit breaker” lockdown to reduce the spread of the virus and allow the health-care-system to catch its breath.
“A circuit breaker, in my opinion, is required — a hard one,” Sampson told the CBC’s Helen Pike.
WATCH/Calgary Emergency Management Agency Chief wants a “circuit breaker’ lockdown to stem COVID-19 spread:
“I think people can do anything that you ask them to do if they know there’s a defined period to it, also. And in that sense, I don’t think we should delude ourselves. 14 days is one cycle. You know, you need two cycles to really break COVID, in my opinion.”
Kenney has been reluctant to impose harsh restrictions, arguing that such measures could hurt the economy and affect people’s mental health.
Restaurants and pubs in those areas, as well as areas on “enhanced status,” were ordered to halt liquor sales by 10 p.m. and close by 11 p.m.
The measures, which will not be monitored by law enforcement, are in place until Nov. 27.
Kenney urged citizens to exercise “personal responsibility” ahead of mandatory constraints.
Last Monday, a group of Alberta physicians called on the Alberta government to impose an immediate two-week emergency lockdown, waning of ‘catastrophic’ consequences without further restrictions.
To the east, Manitoba health officials on Sunday reported ten COVID-19 deaths and 494 new cases of the virus, the highest number of cases ever reported on a single day.
According to the daily COVID-19 bulletin, the deaths took place from November 3-14. A total of 162 people in Manitoba have now died after contracting COVID-19.
On Saturday, more than 100 people, including children, gathered in the city of Steinbach, about 50 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg, to protest against additional restrictions that went into effect on Thursday that placed all of Manitoba in the red–or critical–level on the province’s pandemic response system.
Protesters were observed not practising physical distancing, or wearing protective masks. Some protesters wore other face coverings that obscured their faces, such as a Guy Fawkes mask, popularized by the film V for Vendetta.
The CBC’s Nicholas Frews reported that shortly before 3 p.m. provincial environment and health officers began handing out fines to some of the protesters.
WATCH | Protesters shout profanities at enforcement officers:
Meanwhile, Quebec and Ontario, the two provinces hardest hit by COVID-19, continued to struggle with an increasing number of cases.
Quebec topped 1,400 for the first time on Saturday. On Sunday, the province recorded 1,211 new infections. On Monday, officials reported 1,218 new cases of COVID-19 and 25 more deaths.
In the northern territory of Nunavut, where the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was indentified just nine days ago, the active case rose to 18 on Sunday after officials confirmed 10 new cases and health officers warnned of “signs of community transmission.”
A press release on Monday announced that the territory had ordered all non-essential services, businesses and organizations to close or switch to a work-from-home model starting Wednesday.
Outdoor gatherings of more than five people will no longer be permitted, and indoor gatherings will be restricted to five people in addition to household members.
The release said all schools will close and move to remote learning, and child-care centres will be closed to all but essential workers.
The government also “strongly advised” against non-essential travel.
With files from CBC News (Helen Pike, Nicholas Frew), The Canadian Press, RCI
For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.