What you need to know about COVID-19 in Alberta on Monday, March 30

The latest:

• Five more Albertanshave died due to COVID-19, bringing the total deaths in the province on Monday to eight.
• Afemale in her 70s in Calgary, a female in her 50s in Calgary, two men in their 80s in Edmonton, and a man in his 30s in the north zone have died.
• Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province's chief medical officer of health, said 29 more cases were confirmed on Monday, bringing the total to 690. The province said that while the number of new cases is lower, that was due to challenges with lab testing supplies and said testing capacity is now back to normal.
• If you are quarantined, you are allowed to go outdoors only on your own property for the duration of your 14 days of self-isolation. You cannot have guests over or go to the grocery store or pharmacy, Hinshaw said. If you live in an apartment building, you cannot use the elevator or stairwell of the building.
• Hinshaw said those self-isolation rules apply to anyone ordered to quarantine, whether they are feeling well or have symptoms.
• The outbreak at a Calgary care home continues, with 36 possible or confirmed cases among residents and five among staff at the McKenzie Towne care facility.
• Alberta has bought rapid testing devices for COVID-19 that can deliver results in less than an hour.
• The City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Public Library are laying off 2,100 employees.
• The City of Calgary is laying off on-call and casual employees, but the number affected is not yet known.
• The Calgary International Airport announced partial terminal closures starting on March 31.
• A report is calling for the rapid accreditation of foreign-trained doctors to fight the pandemic.
• More than 800 doctors sign a letter urging the provincial government to rethink itshealth-care revamp.
• Albertans are having a hard time accessing the province's emergency support payments.
• Alberta farmers are concerned about disruptions in supply chains.
• Parents are worried after the Alberta government cut thousands of education jobs.
• A southeast Calgary seniors'home now has 26 confirmed cases.

What you need to know today in Alberta:

The wordthat best defines the situation now in Alberta is uncertainty. Farmers are uncertain about how COVID-19 will impact them as they prepare to plant crops. Parents are uncertain how the loss of thousands of education jobs will affect them. Workers are uncertain what to do as they struggle to access provincial emergency funding meant as a stop gap before federal funding becomes available.

Also uncertain is whether the steps the province is taking to flatten the curve are having the desired outcome, and Albertans could still be a week or more away from knowing.

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But it's not all doom and gloom. Alberta, and Canada, appear to be faring better than other jurisdictions hit hard by the pandemic, including the United States, where cases continue to soar. And in Calgary, streets were closed to cars on the weekend so people could get out and stretch their legs with enough physical distance to avoid transmitting the virus.

The case totals broken down by health zone in Alberta as of Monday, March 30, are as follows:

• 422 cases in the Calgary zone.
• 164 cases in the Edmonton zone.
• 46 cases in the Central zone.
• 45 cases in the North zone.
• 12 cases in the South zone.
• 1 case in a zone that is yet to be confirmed.

What you need to know today in Canada:

New rules preventing those with symptoms from travelling by plane or train within Canada come into effect on Monday, the same day the federal government revealed details on its wage subsidy and guaranteed loan programs.

It comes as the nation's top doctor says this will be a critical week in determining whether Canada's actions to combat the pandemic are working.

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As of 5:30 a.m. ET on Monday, there were 6,320 confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19 in Canada, including 66 deaths. Not all provinces have been reporting figures on the number of patients who are considered recovered, but those that are list a total of 592 cases as resolved.

There have also been two COVID-19 related deaths of Canadians abroad one in Japan and one in Brazil.

For a more detailed look at what's happening in Canada, including details on the limitations of relying on recorded cases, visit CBC's interactive case tracker.

Self-assessment:

Alberta Health Services has an online self-assessment tool that you can use to determine if you have symptoms of COVID-19.

Testing is focused on individuals who are most at risk from the virus, or those most at risk of passing it on to others.

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The province says Albertans who have returned to Canada after March 12 must self-isolate for 14 days. 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 10 days from the onset of symptoms, or longer if symptoms persist.

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