Update on COVID-19 in Alberta from the Chief Medical Officer
EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS CHANGES
• Employees can take 14 days of paid, job protected leave if they’re required to self-isolate, are sick or caring for a loved one.
• A medical note is not required to access this leave and do not need to have worked for an employer for 90 days in order to be eligible for this leave.
SCHOOLS AND DAYCARES REMAIN OPEN
The World Health Organization does not recommend school closures as the only way to prevent spread in young children. Given the current situation in Alberta, schools would need to be closed for months, not weeks, to be effective.
Instead, take steps to protect the health of students and staff:
• eliminate large congregations of students
• ensure no more than 250 people are in the same room at any given time
• consider cancelling extracurricular activities that involve physical contact
POST-SECONDARY
Post-secondary institutions have not been advised to close at this time.
NEW CASES of COVID-19
• Six additional cases have been confirmed
• The total number of cases in the province to 29.
• All cases are travel-related.
HEALTH LINK CALL VOLUMES
• Continued high call volumes, regularly receiving more than 6,300 calls daily.
• AHS has doubled Health Link staff and tripled call line capacity.
• We thank you for your patience, please stay on the line.
• A new online assessment tool will be available shortly. You will be able to ask questions about your symptoms and determine whether you need testing.
To protect yourself and others: stay home if you’re sick, wash your hands often, avoid touching your face & get information from reliable sources.
Get daily updates at alberta.ca/COVID19