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.
"Itโs insane, itโs 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 Albertaโs 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Saskatchewan repealed restrictions on July 11 after reaching a predetermined amount of vaccinations.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
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontarioโs Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.