News of new concerns over the spread of COVID-19 was on the minds of travellers at Calgary International Airport on Thursday.
While some travellers said they take preventative measures seriously, none were changing their plans.
“We’re going to Mexico, so we went online to see if there were any travel advisories, and we didn’t anything in particular for Mexico,” Dawn Carr told Global News.
“We did think about it, though.”
On Wednesday, Alberta Health Services announced it had expanded its testing protocols to also include people who have recently travelled to Hong Kong, Singapore, Iran, South Korea, Japan and Italy.
Health officials are encouraging travellers to stay up to date with the latest information regarding the spread of COVID-19, as it’s not known where the virus will spread next.
“We ask any travellers returning from these areas in addition to mainland China to monitor their symptoms for 14 days after returning,” Alberta’s chief medical health officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw said.
“Should these individuals experience symptoms like fever or cough or have any concerns about their health, I encourage them to stay home and call Health Link at 811 to see if there is a need for testing or follow-up.”
There have been no cases confirmed in Alberta to date and Hinshaw said that the risk of contracting the virus in the province still remains low.
But the province is preparing for a worst-case scenario by ensuring there are enough medical supplies to tackle such an issue, Hinshaw said.
Meanwhile, Calgary’s mayor attempted to quell concerns surrounding the spread of the virus.
On Thursday, Naheed Nenshi touted emergency management protocols that are in place if the virus does reach Alberta.
“I’m not going to say there’s a zero possibility that anything will happen here. If it does happen, we are well equipped to manage it,” Nenshi said.
“There is a little bit of a panic factor that we’ve got to get over.”
Despite the province’s low risk, Alberta health officials recommended that people stay prepared and take preventative measures seriously.
Hinshaw’s recommendations include a supply of at least three days’ worth of prescription and relief medication, basic food items and drinking water.
“It’s always sensible to have a supply of regular maintenance medications on hand for your health needs,” Calgary pharmacist Dan O’Connell said.
“If a person has other disease states — diabetes, hyper-tension, kidney disease — it’s sensible to have those medications on hand.”
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According to O’Connell, he is more concerned with the spread of influenza in the province right now than COVID-19.
O’Connell recommended Albertans get their flu shot, especially elderly patients and those with weaker immune systems.
He said there has been an influx in the sale of masks and hand sanitizers since the outbreak began.
“There’s a lot of hand sanitizers and masks being sold, the masks are in quite short supply, O’Connell said.
“Masks won’t prevent you from catching a virus. They will, if you are sick, help you somewhat prevent transmitting a virus.
“The biggest protection is prevention,” he said.
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