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What you need to know about COVID-19 in Alberta on Monday, August 17

Over the weekend, 285 more people in Alberta tested positive for COVID-19.

Three more people died of COVID-19 over the weekend

An undated transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, also known as novel coronavirus, the virus which causes COVID-19, isolated from a patient. An outbreak notice was issued Tuesday night for the Inuvik Warming Shelter and Inclusion N.W.T. in Yellowknife. (NIAID Integrated Research Facility/Reuters)

The latest:

  • Over the weekend, 285 more people in Alberta tested positive for COVID-19:177 on Friday, 86 on Saturday and 96 on Sunday.
  • On Monday, Alberta Health posted numbers for the three days that totalled 359 cases.
  • But Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health,said laterthe Friday case numbers include74 that were actually included in the database from dates before Aug. 14. She said more information on the numbers will be provided on Tuesday.
  • Three more people have died: a man in his 60s in the South Zone, a man in his 60s in Calgary, and a man in his 80s from the North Zone.
  • There are 1,132 active cases in the province. There are 300 active cases in Calgary and 593 in Edmonton.
  • A McDonald's restaurant temporarily closed on Saturday after an employee reported they had tested positive for COVID-19. The restaurantat 8235 Bowridge Crescent N.W.reopened Sunday morning after a "thorough cleaning and sanitization by a certified third party."
  • The Calgary Stampeders and theirEdmonton counterparts will have to wait until next year to resume their rivalry. The CFL has cancelled the 2020 season after its request for financial help from the federal government was turned down.
  • Three new outbreaks were declared by the province on Friday, including at a Cargill processing facility in Calgary.
  • An Alberta high school teacher is worried about how health officials will monitor the spread of COVID-19 once students are back in school, after his family had to waitmore than a week to hear from a contact tracer after testing positive.
  • Rescue crews are busy this year as more Albertans seek to explore the province, some of whom are unprepared to do so.
  • Learn about where you need to wear a mask around the province.

What you need to know today in Alberta:

Going back to classin a pandemic will be tough, there are so many questions.CBC News has your questions answered in this FAQ: What you need to know about COVID-19 and the return to school in Alberta.

An outbreak of COVID-19 has been declared at Cargill's"case ready" facility in northeast Calgary. It's a"further processing" facility that provides retail meat products for supermarkets across Western Canada.

Two other outbreaks were also declared by the province on Friday: five cases are now linked totheFledglings Educare Centre in Calgary, and 13 cases are linked to a private gathering.

(CBC)

Labour market watchers say the pandemic is going to have long-term repercussions on hiring trendseven after the pandemic is over as the labour market overflows with people ready to start working again.

Some Edmonton furniture companiessay they are seeing an uptick in business with people stayingclose to home during the pandemic.

Alberta's search and rescue crews have been busy this summer as residents have sought to escape isolation and explore the province. That's leading search and rescue crews to urge Albertans to be prepared before going exploring.

CBCNews hascurated a list of towns and cities in theprovince, outlining theirpolicies on masks. We'll try to keepitupdatedregularly.

Here's a regional breakdown of active casesacross the province as of Monday.

  • Edmonton zone:593 active cases, up 96 from Thursday.
  • Calgary zone:300active cases, up 5 from Thursday.
  • North zone:102active cases, down 1 from Thursday.
  • Central zone:85active cases, up 4 from Thursday.
  • South zone:42active cases, down 3 from Thursday.
  • Unknown: 10active cases, up 5 from Thursday.
(CBC)

What you need to know today in Canada:

As of 5a.m. ET on Monday,Canada had 122,087 confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases. Provinces and territories listed 108,484 of those as recovered or resolved. ACBC News tallyof deaths based on provincial reports, regional health information and CBC's reporting stood at 9,064.

A deepening rift between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his finance minister about coronavirus spending is also fuelled by disagreements over the scope and scale of proposed green initiatives, three sources familiar with the matter said. Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau are scheduled to meet on Monday in a bid to sort out their differences.

Parents and experts across Canada are voicing their concern about "neglected" school ventilation systems across the country. With temperatures set to dip this fall, opening windows may not always be an option.

The pandemic threatens to wipe out decades of progress for working mothers, experts warn.A report last month fromRBC Economicscalled the hit on women's employment "unprecedented," with 1.5 million women in Canada losing their jobs in the first two months of the pandemic.

A doctor accused of being at the centre of the COVID-19 outbreak in New Brunswick's Campbellton region in May that claimed two lives, infecteddozens and forced that northern part of the provinceback into the orange phase ofrecoveryis facing a charge under the provincial Emergency Measures Act.

The CFL cancelled its season Monday due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning the Grey Cup won't be presented for the first time since 1919. The decision comes after the CFL was unable to secure financial assistance from the federal government.

Members of the Kananaskis Country Public Safety team with Alberta Parks, patrol the area's waterways as shown in this recent handout image. Rescue agencies in Alberta are fielding a higher volume of calls, including ones about accidental deaths, as Canadians stay closer to home this summer due to COVID-19. (The Canadian Press/HO-Kananaskis Country Public Safety-Jeff MacPherson)

Self-assessment and supports:

Alberta Health Services has an online self-assessment tool that you can use to determine if you have symptoms of COVID-19, but testing is open to anyone, even without symptoms.

The province says Albertans who have returned to Canada from other countries must self-isolate. Unless your situation is critical and requires a call to 911, Albertans are advised to call Health Link at 811 before visiting a physician, hospital or other health-care facility.

If you have symptoms, even mild, you are to self-isolate for at least 10 days from the onset of symptoms, until the symptoms have disappeared.

You can find Alberta Health Services' latest coronavirus updates here.

The province also operates a confidential mental health support line at 1-877-303-2642 and addiction help line at 1-866-332-2322, both available 24 hours a day.

Online resources are available for advice on handling stressful situations and ways to talk with children.

There is a 24-hour family violence information line at 310-1818 to get anonymous help in more than 170 languages, and Alberta's One Line for Sexual Violence is available at 1-866-403-8000, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.