It has been almost two-months since COVID-19 arrived in the province and our daily reality was been turned upside down.
The resilience Albertans have shown in rising to the challenge of following emergency public health protocols is commendable— but it is likely we have many more difficult weeks and months ahead of us.
Spring is in the air and it is a time we would typically be gathering in groups to celebrate high school graduations, gearing up for rodeos, planning camping trips for the May long weekend and preparing for the NHL playoffs.
These celebrations are no longer possible if we want to continue to flatten the curve and ensure the transmission of the virus is limited in Alberta.
On Thursday (April 23), Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said the current restriction banning groups of 15 or more will apply to all summer events that involve mass gatherings.
Hinshaw said it was not an easy decision to cancel all summer events in the province, but the decision will be critical in keeping Albertans safe.
“I am convinced this measure is necessary — COVID-19 is still with us and it spreads rapidly through social interactions,” Hinshaw said. “The kinds of social gatherings we are used to even in the summer can result in a significant spread of the virus from just one person who may not know even know they are infected. The results can be explosive, far-reaching and deadly.”
A major disruption created by the restriction of mass gatherings has been the cancellation of the greatest outdoor show on earth, the Calgary Stampede. The rodeo is a celebration of the western spirit of adventure and the cancellation marks the first time the show did not go on in its 108-year history. It is one of many rodeos that will not take place this summer.
The loss of public gatherings is felt by all of us, but it is not forever.
“It’s very sad for all the rodeo committees and all the towns that host the rodeos,” said Cochrane steer wrestling and Stampede veteran Tanner Milan. “It’s absolutely terrible we don’t get rodeos to go to, but at the same time you have to take care of your community and make sure that none of this is getting spread around.”
We need to rally together so we can hit the ground running when public health measures begin to be lifted and the economy can begin reopening.
We all have a role play.
The summer ahead will be difficult, but if the public health measures put in place are disregarded we run the risk of letting COVID-19 run wild in our communities putting our family, friends and neighbours' lives and health at risk.
“If we let the virus loose we would lose the value of all of the sacrifices that we have made to date and we would simply have to shut down even more of our economy more harshly and probably for a longer period of time causing even more damage,” said Alberta premier Jason Kenney. “I know this is getting increasingly difficult for Albertans but I do believe with the progress we’ve made that we can see light at the end of the tunnel.”
These are challenging times, but it is up to all of us to work together so we can help flatten the curve and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Doing so will help us relaunch the economy sooner and allow us to celebrate together (in person) when the health care protocols are lifted.
