CALGARY -- Christmas is going to look different for many Albertans this year. The province has banned all indoor, and outdoor, social gatherings for the next four weeks.
The ban will essentially kill holiday family get-togethers.
Premier Jason Kenney says the hard truth is the biggest single source of viral transmission is at home gatherings. “If we relax the public health measures to large family gatherings in just three weeks’ time we will, without a shadow of a doubt, see a large increase in hospitalizations and fatalities,” Kenney said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
COVID-19 has already led to the cancellation of many annual Christmas events in southern Alberta. The Fort Macleod Santa Clause Christmas parade won’t run for the first time in 38 years and Santa has cancelled his visit to Park Place Shopping Centre. “
"We simply can’t let this turn into a tragedy for many families,” said Kenney.
Delivering Christmas spirit from a distance
While it’s disappointing news for many, some organizations are pushing ahead with plans to deliver Christmas spirit - from a distance.
Staff at Southminster United Church are planning to live-stream their annual Christmas Eve service. They usually see about 500 people, in-person, so they wanted to find a way to connect people online. Special musical guests will perform on their Facebook page at 7 p.m. December 24. “We don’t want to lose all the magic of Christmas,” said Reverend Taylor Croissant “so we’re trying to make as big of a Christmas event as possible.”
The new provincial regulations have restricted places of worship to 15 per cent of their fire code capacity.
They’re not the only ones offering safe Christmas activities. Nikko Yuko Japanese Gardens is hosting their Christmas lights festival and the Groves Christmas lights drive-up display will also continue.
For those struggling with the thought of not seeing their families over the holidays, counsellors say it’s important they find support. “There is an increase in stress and we are feeling more isolated than in previous years” said Elliot Kemmet with Lethbridge Family Services “it’s important people reach out for help to supports like counselling or a physician.”
The province says they know this is going to be a difficult holiday season for many but they’re asking residents to look for ways to stay in touch virtually, and still be festive, while keeping each other safe.
