Update (April 4 at 6 p.m.)

Two Albertans have died since the last report, bringing the total COVID-19 related deaths in the province to 20. In addition, 106 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed, bringing the total number in Alberta to 1,181.

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-As of Friday, April 3rd, 1-thousand and 75 Albertans have been confirmed with Covid-19. And 18 people in the province have now died because of the virus.

 

Bits and Pieces program
More than 1,100 offers of support have poured into the government’s Bits and Pieces program from private and non-profit organizations. Offers include commercial vehicles, hotel rooms and mobile trailers, food and water services, hospital gowns, face masks, ventilators and other personal protective equipment.

Support for family violence prevention
Government is providing $60 million in one-time emergency funding to adult homeless shelters, women’s emergency shelters, and charities and not-for-profit organizations to support their response to COVID-19:
$25 million to homeless-serving agencies
$5 million to women’s emergency shelters
$30 million to charities, not-for-profits and civil society organizations
Government is also providing $50 million in financial support for self-isolating Albertans with no other source of income to help to reduce economic pressure on families.
Community and Social Services is working on increasing public awareness about family violence during COVID-19:
YourAlberta and Community and Social Services social media accounts are promoting the Family Violence Info Line as a resource during the pandemic.
The alberta.ca/COVID19 webpage includes information on family violence and mental health.
Community and Social Services is developing a fact sheet on family violence and COVID-19 for front-line staff in the public health and family violence sectors.
Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women is developing a list of supports for people experiencing gender-based violence.

Access to justice updates
The Provincial Court of Alberta has updated schedules and practice notices at https://www.albertacourts.ca/pc/resources/covid.
The Court of Queen’s Bench has released a definition of emergency/urgent matters at https://www.albertacourts.ca/qb/resources/announcements/definition-of-emergency-urgent-matters.
The Court of Appeal will now permit the remote commissioning of affidavits. Find more information at https://www.albertacourts.ca/ca/publications/announcements/notice—covid-19-remote-commissioning-of-affidavits.

Outbreak standards for health settings
Alberta’s chief medical officer of health has outlined orders on how to control outbreaks of COVID-19 and protect the residents and staff of licensed supportive living (including group homes and lodges), long-term care (nursing homes and auxiliary hospitals), and residential addiction treatment service providers licensed under the Mental Health Services Protection Act.

Under the orders, operators will be required to notify public health authorities, along with residents, families and staff, as soon as one individual (resident or staff) exhibits COVID-19 symptoms.
Staff who work at multiple facilities are required to immediately inform their supervisors if they have worked or are working at a facility where there is a suspected, probable or confirmed outbreak.
To protect our most vulnerable, in the case of a confirmed outbreak, operators will require staff members to work exclusively at one facility. This is in addition to the worker health screening guidelines that are already in place.
The new standards provide operators with direction, in varying levels of outbreak, on how to deploy staff and resources where most needed, implement isolation measures, and ensure staff have up-to-date training on care and protective equipment.

List of essential workplaces
The list of essential workplaces that can continue to operate in Alberta can be found online.

Emergency isolation supports
Emergency isolation supports are available for Albertans who are self-isolating or who are the sole caregivers for someone in self-isolation, and have no other source of income. Applicants can view eligibility criteria and apply at alberta.ca. To carefully manage the flow of applications, we are periodically closing online access to MADI and the emergency isolation support. We will provide daily updates about system availability.

Quick facts
The most important measures that Albertans can take to prevent respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, is to practise good hygiene.
This includes cleaning your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds, avoiding touching your face, coughing or sneezing into your elbow or sleeve, disposing of tissues appropriately.

Anyone who has health concerns or is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should complete an online COVID-19 self-assessment.
For recommendations on protecting yourself and your community, visit alberta.ca/COVID19.

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-The province is going to defer timber dues for six months because of Covid-19. Government officials say it will help forest companies to keep running and hang onto staff during the pandemic.
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-In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Municipal District of Bonnyville has temporarily closed all M.D. playgrounds. The decision comes as the M.D. continues to follow the advice of Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health and Public Health Orders, which includes social distancing and restricting gatherings to less than 15 people. This closure includes playgrounds found in the M.D.’s 11 campgrounds, and those located in subdivisions throughout the municipality. As always, the M.D. encourages residents to keep up to date with the rapidly changing situation through the alberta.ca/COVID19 website. When the playgrounds reopen, it will be announced on the M.D.’s website (md.bonnyville.ab.ca) and Facebook page (facebook.com/MDBonnyville).

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-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is confident there is a solution to the dispute over the export of face masks to Canada from the U-S.  Trudeau says he plans to speak with U-S President Donald Trump about the White House order to Minnesota-based 3-M to stop exporting the medical gear vital to protecting front-line workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
He says he is not looking at measures that are retaliatory or punitive.
Much of the pulp for the N-95 masks comes from a mill in Nanaimo, B-C, and Canada also ships gloves and testing kits to the U-S. 

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-With several countries around the world requiring residents to wear face masks to protect against COVID-19 pandemic, Canada’s top medical official is still saying Canadians don’t have to worry about fashioning their own face coverings.
Doctor Theresa Tam says people should only consider covering their face in some way if they can’t maintain a two metre distance from people around them in public, like if they are taking public transit.
The U-S Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that all Americans wear face masks.

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-Seven staff members with Edmonton Catholic Schools are going to be spending a large part of this coming Monday putting together almost 3-hundred food hampers for families in need at 19 Edmonton Catholic schools. The cost of the hampers is around 29-thousand dollars and were funded through Alberta Education Nutrition Funding, Breakfast for Learning, Breakfast Club of Canada, the Edmonton Catholic School Division Foundation and private donors. Each hamper will feed about four people for two weeks. Trucks will be delivering the hampers to the schools on Tuesday and the schools will then contact the families in need. If someone can’t pick up, the hamper will be delivered.