![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6976944.1721898750!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Calgary doctors hold noon hour rally against lifting of COVID-19 restrictions
Several dozen people gathered at the McDougall Centre in Calgary over the noon hour on Friday to voice concerns about Alberta dropping mandatory health measures for COVID-19.
A similar protest was also held at the legislature in Edmonton at noon on Friday.
The groups, which included a number of doctors, were protesting an announcement by the province on Wednesday that health measures will be further lifted starting Aug. 16, when those who contract COVID-19 will not be mandated to quarantine and masks will no longer be mandatory on public transit.
"I was super surprised," said Gosia Gasperowicz, a biologist at the University of Calgary, on her reaction to the news.
"When I heard there will be an announcement, I thought we would have more measures announced because we have now numbers shooting up, we have more than 2,000 daily cases. The speed is growing, we might have hospitals full either at the end of August or September."
Gasperowicz said the consequences will be that "COVID-19 will run rampant."
COVID-19 cases have been increasing in Alberta since the Calgary Stampede wrapped up on July 18.
According to Calgary ER physician Dr. Joe Vipond, the province's decision to lift public health measures is irresponsible.
"It’s insane, it’s this incredible experiment of how many people we can get sick," he said. .
Vipond has been voicing his frustration on Twitter as well.
Nearly 65 per cent of Albertans ages 12 and up have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Provincial officials have said the decision to remove restrictions was based on data received from Alberta’s public health response.
Saskatchewan repealed restrictions on July 11 after reaching a predetermined amount of vaccinations. That province has encouraged Alberta to follow suit and remove restrictions.
This is a developing story and will be updated throughout the day...
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6976926.1721883767!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
DEVELOPING Alberta's request for federal assistance approved after fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on social media that Ottawa has approved Alberta's request for federal assistance after a fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park and its townsite late Wednesday.
BREAKING Loblaw, George Weston to settle class action over bread price-fixing for $500 million
Loblaw Cos. Ltd. and its parent company George Weston Ltd. say they have agreed to pay $500-million to settle a class-action lawsuit regarding their involvement in an alleged bread price-fixing scheme.
EXCLUSIVE One address, 76 foreign currency dealers: Inside Canada's money service business 'clusters'
An IJF and CTV News investigation has found dozens of cases across Canada where multiple money services businesses (MSBs) are incorporated at the same address, sometimes without the knowledge or consent of the location's actual occupant. One money laundering expert calls it an 'abuse of the system.'
U.K. police officer suspended after video appears to show a man being kicked in head
A British police officer was suspended from all duties Thursday after a video was posted on social media that appeared to show an officer kicking and stamping on the head of a man lying on the floor of a terminal at Manchester Airport.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Norad intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in apparent first
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
Biden explains why he ended re-election bid in Oval Office address
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Jasper mayor says alert system to be reviewed after message 'glitch'
More than 25,000 people have been displaced from Jasper National Park since wildfires started to threaten the picturesque corner of Alberta Rockies on Monday, but the mayor of its namesake municipality says not everyone received an evacuation alert when it was sent out.
Unclaimed bodies are piling up in Newfoundland. A funeral director blames the government
A funeral director in St. John's says the bodies piling up in freezers at Newfoundland and Labrador's largest hospital likely belong to people whose loved ones couldn't get enough government help to pay for a funeral.