BARRHEAD-The number of active COVID-19 cases in the Barrhead region is back up to eight. This is according to the coronavirus status map maintained by the Alberta government. Going into the weekend the map had identified six cases.
The map does not specify whether the active cases are in the Town of Barrhead or the County of Barrhead.
These cases bring the total number of COVID-19 cases identified in the Barrhead region to 16, with eight having recovered.
The increase coincides with a particularly bad weekend with 364, 572 and 504 cases being identified on Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively. Seven deaths due to the coronavirus were also recorded over the three days.
As of today, Monday, Oct. 26, the total number of active cases in Alberta stands at 4,477 of those 118 are in the hospital. Sixteen are in intensive care units.
The Edmonton zone once again leads all areas with 2,179 active cases followed by Calgary with 1,549. North Zone, which Barrhead is part of, reports 180 active cases, reports 311 active cases, with four requiring hospitalization. Two are in intensive care. Thirty-five deaths have also been reported due to the virus.
At the Oct. 27 Town of Barrhead council meeting, councillors will be debating a public face covering bylaw, they asked administration to draft two weeks ago.
In neighbouring Westlock County, 23 active cases are reported, Woodlands County reports no active cases and 18 active cases are reported in Lac Ste Anne County. Elsewhere in our readership area, in Athabasca, the provincial map shows three active cases. It should be noted that Westlock County and Lac Ste Anne County, have been put on the province's watch list, having at least 10 active cases and more than 50 cases per 100,000.
Alberta's chief medical officer Deena Hinshaw said residents cannot live in fear due to the virus in the coming months, but they need to respect it.
"COVID is a novel disease that is not just the flu," she said. "It has the ability to overwhelm our health system and weaken our essential services if we let it do so. Respecting COVID-19 means taking public health advice seriously and taking care of not only ourselves but our communities by preventing transmission."
Hinshaw added in her regular press briefing she has continuously spoken about striking a balance between efforts to restrict the spread of the coronavirus and the harms restrictions impose.
"This requires us to keep the spread of COVID-19 manageable. We now have crossed a tipping point and are losing the balance we are seeking," she said, using the example of how Alberta Health Services decided to defer elective surgeries to deal with the pressure the virus is putting on the medical system.
Hinshaw also announced the addition of new 15-person mandatory gathering limits in Calgary and Edmonton where people are "mixing and gathering."
She noted limit does not apply to dining in restaurants, or to theatres, worship services or wedding and funeral services, but it does apply to gatherings before or after such events, such as wedding receptions or a social event at a restaurant.
These latest measures are on top of all the other restrictions and guidelines put in place by AHS and public health.
