Photo: Government of Alberta

By Shaun Penner

COVID-19 UPDATE

Outdoor gathering limits increased to 50 people in Alberta

May 15, 2020 | 3:57 PM

Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health says those planning outdoor gatherings for the long weekend can now have more than 15 people.

During Friday’s COVID-19 update, Dr. Deena Hinshaw announced the province will now allow outdoor gatherings to have up to 50 people, as long as physical distancing of two metres between individuals can be maintained.

She adds that though gatherings can be larger, things like sharing food and drinks are strongly discouraged.

“It is increasingly important that we all continue to take proper precautions to stop the spread of COVID-19, including frequent hand washing, always staying home when feeling ill and considering use of a non-medical mask while out in public.”

Dr. Hinshaw adds that those planning to host friends and family for a gathering in their yard, the amount of people should only be as much as the yard can hold, while still maintaining physical distancing measures.

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She also reminded the public that though the limit for outdoor gatherings has increased, gatherings indoors can still only have up to 15 people.

As for the update on COVID-19 in the province, Dr. Hinshaw says there were 58 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Alberta for May 15. None of the new cases identified were from the North Zone.

The number of recoveries once again outgrew new cases, with 112 new recoveries for Friday. As of May 15, there were 1,131 active cases and 5,317 people have recovered.

There were four new fatalities reported on Friday, all from continuing care homes in Calgary. There have now been 125 deaths due to COVID-19 in Alberta.

Updated totals for Peace region municipalities as of Friday are as follows:

• City of Grande Prairie: Three cases (All recovered)
• County of Grande Prairie: Five cases (One active, four recovered)
• M.D. of Greenview: Two cases (One active, one recovered)
• M.D. of Smoky River: 67 cases (Three active, 54 recovered, ten deaths)
• Big Lakes County: 36 cases (One active, 33 recovered, two deaths)
• M.D. of Lesser Slave River: Five cases (All recovered)
• Northern Sunrise County: Three cases (All recovered)
• M.D. of Peace: Seven cases (Six recovered, one death)
• Clear Hills County: One case (Fatal)
• County of Northern Lights: One case (Recovered)
• Mackenzie County: 32 cases (Seven active, 25 recovered)

The provincial lab processed 4,505 tests over the last 24 hours, including 278 from the North Zone.

Hospitalizations and ICU admissions once again decreased on Friday. There are now 62 Albertans in hospital, while nine are in intensive care.