On the heels of Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, announcing a slight change to the province’s gathering restrictions, Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said it’s imperative that residents continue to use common sense amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While the advice has eased up for gatherings, you have to use common sense,” Nenshi said on Tuesday.
“Our advice is still to stay home as much as you can.”
On Monday, Hinshaw said Albertans who are well and have not been in contact with anyone confirmed to have COVID-19 can spend time outside with a “small number of friends,” if they stay two metres apart from those not in their household.
Nenshi said while he’s glad to see public health loosening the restrictions a little, residents still need to be proactive in practising physical distancing.
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“The rules are very clear: stay at home as much as you can, stay two meters away from people… and stay away from people that are at risk.”
Nenshi said that certain things are acceptable, including the odd driveway visit and talking with friends or neighbours in passing, but added that residents should limit their interactions with people outside their households.
He explained that get-togethers should not be held in areas with high-touch surfaces and that children should be kept away from each other.
“Kids are huge germ spreaders,” he said.
“I’ll just be blunt about it, I don’t have the right to issue it but I’ll issue it anyway, no play dates.”
Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) deputy chief Sue Henry added that while many Calgarians are acting safely while spending time outdoors, over the weekend the city saw several violations that resulted in monetary fines.
“There were 362 patrols since Friday, and our officers continue to report back that they are getting improvement,” Henry said.
“Over the weekend, our Calgary community standard officers gave our 140 warnings and three violation tickets of $1,200 for not adhering to physical distancing.”
Three $400 tickets were also given out to adults for using a skate park and tickets of $120 were given to three people for drinking in a public space, Henry said.
Henry added that until further notice, all disk golf courses in the city are closed alongside all outdoor sports facilities.