EDMONTON -- Alberta reported 422 cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, increasing its current count to 4,738 infections and marking the ninth day straight it sets an active-case record.
The Edmonton zone has nearly half of Alberta’s cases with 2,290, while the Calgary zone continues to see a rise with 1,672 cases.
The province also reported two more deaths, in the Edmonton and South zones, which saw the death toll reach 309.
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Alberta hospitals have 123 COVID-19 patients, with 16 in intensive care.
The province has reported 26,155 cases to date.
SOCIAL GATHERING RESTRICTIONS
The continued spike in cases prompted new restrictions from the chief medical officer of health.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw says it’s now mandatory to keep social gatherings to no more than 15 people in the Edmonton and Calgary zones to curb the spread of the disease.
Alberta’s two largest cities have the majority of coronavirus cases with 1,786 in Edmonton and 1,366 in Calgary.
“We are following the evidence and implementing a targeted measure that will help reduce transmission and limit the risk of cases growing exponentially in both cities,” Hinshaw said. “These social gatherings tend to be less structured and can struggle to implement key measures like physical distancing and hand washing to reduce the risks of exposure."
