What you need to know about COVID-19 in Alberta on March 11, 2020

THE LATEST:

• Number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Alberta jumps by five to 19.
• All 19 are travel-related.
• Most are in the Calgary or Edmonton zones. One is in the Central zone.
• The Alberta Federation of Labour calls for paid sick leave for all Albertans.
• Calgary-based WestJet takes immediate cost-reduction initiatives in the wake of plunging demand. 
• Premier Jason Kenney calls for federal help to deal with impacts of the oil price crash and coronavirus as he heads to Ottawa for the first ministers' conference.
• Kenney also says the Alberta government is looking at an order in council that would remove the need for a doctor's note for sick leave. 
• The federal government commits $1 billion to help deal with the outbreak, including $500 million for the provinces. 
• With more than 100 countries now reporting cases of COVID-19, the WHO labelled the health crisis a pandemic.

What you need to know today

Alberta's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Denna Hinshaw, announced five new cases on Wednesday, bringing the confirmed provincial total to 19.

The five new cases involved people who returned after travelling to Iran, Egypt, Spain, Mexico and the United States. They include:

• An Edmonton man in his 30s who returned from international travel and began experiencing symptoms.
• A man in his 20s and two women in their 30s from the Calgary zone.
• A woman in her 30s from the central Alberta zone.

Hinshaw also warned the province can expect to see some cases spread within the province.

You can read more of Hinshaw's update and watch the full news conference here. 

Event cancellations started earlier this week, with more expected. 

• Will wearing a mask protect you from the coronavirus? Find out in the video below.

Will wearing a mask protect you from the coronavirus?

5 years ago

Duration 2:27

As of Wednesday, the World Health organization says case numbers have topped 118,000 in 114 countries.

Canada had 114 confirmed or presumptive COVID-19 cases by Wednesday afternoon, including:

• 46 in British Columbia, including two health-care workers. 
• 41 cases in Ontario.
• 19 cases in Alberta.
• 7 cases in Quebec.
• 1 presumptive case in New Brunswick.

Health officials in Canada have reported one death linked to COVID-19 — a man in his 80s who lived at a long-term care facility in B.C.

Large event cancellations to date

In Alberta, a number of large gatherings have been cancelled including:

• The City of Calgary's Safety Expo, which was slated to start on Wednesday. 
• Calgary's Olympic speed-skating oval cancelled a pair of international events due to the outbreak. The long-track Grand Prix scheduled for March 14-15 and the oval's long-track finale March 19-22 have been called off.
• CERAWeek, which is one of the biggest conventions for the global energy sector and sends many from Alberta's oil and gas industry to Houston yearly, has been cancelled.
• Calgary schools have cancelled their overseas travel plans amid the outbreak.
• Two ATB branches in Calgary were closed after an employee was confirmed to have COVID-19 but were reopened Tuesday after intense cleaning.

Schools remain open across the province as of Wednesday afternoon, but the University of Calgary has told instructors to prepare online courses in preparation for a shutdown. 

If you know of an event that has been cancelled due to coronavirus fears — or any other potential news stories in Alberta tied to the COVID-19 outbreak — please share it with CBC News at [email protected].

• Find out how to protect yourself while travelling by air in the video below.

Tips on how to fly germ-free

5 years ago

Duration 2:34

Flying during the coronavirus outbreak? Microbiologist Keith Warriner breaks down the steps you can take to protect yourself while travelling.

• Have you got a news tip tied to the COVID-19 outbreak? You can reach CBC Calgary at [email protected] or CBC Edmonton here.