Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw. (Government of Alberta)

By David Opinko

Final decision “yet to be made” on potential start to relaunch on May 14

May 12, 2020 | 4:26 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Less than 48 hours before some parts of the economy could reopening, the Government of Alberta cannot say for sure whether that will be happening this Thursday.

In Alberta’s Economic Relaunch Strategy announced in late April, Stage 1 is set to commence “as early as” May 14. It would see, among others, retail businesses, museums, hairstylists, and daycares resume operations.

“While I recognize that there’s that challenge that, ideally, people would have a lot of lead time, it’s also important to make sure we have the most important about our data, about how our trends are going so that we can take that into account as we make those decisions,” says Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw.

Some of these considerations include the number of new COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and admissions to intensive care units. The latest numbers are provided later on in this article.

Either way, Dr. Hinshaw says the province will announce definitively whether Stage 1 will take place on May 14 or if that has to be pushed back a bit.

Nighttime construction on Hwy 3 in Lethbridge starts April 17

Apr 17, 2025

SASHA launches #BuyABed fundraiser to support vulnerable Lethbridge residents

Apr 04, 2025

$20K grants available: TELUS STORYHIVE Pan-Asian Edition opens applications April 1

Mar 18, 2025

In the time leading up to that, she believes it is important for all business owners to have a plan in place to ensure that their staff and customers can stay safe.

A new guide called Alberta Biz Connect was launched this week that details the many health and safety considerations companies should be implementing at this time and how those can be done.

“An important thing for all businesses to consider is what mechanisms they can put in place so patrons understand what is required of them. Business operators know their business better than we can. It’s a two-way street, customers and business operators are both responsible for being safe and using common sense.”

Dr. Hinshaw was asked about how operators of malls can ensure they are following all proper protocols, given the high numbers of employees and customers that are sure to frequent them.

“We would expect that mall operators would be following the same guidance as any other place of business. They would be incorporating increased cleaning, increased disinfection, particularly for washroom facilities in those buildings that there would be increased cleaning and disinfection, and that they would be looking at our worksite guidance and making sure that the measures that are in place that are recommended in those guidelines are being implemented in those malls.”

Since most malls have wide corridors, she thinks it should be fairly easy to ensure customers are able to maintain a two-metre distance from one another.

Park Place Mall announced this week that they look to reopen with reduced hours starting on Thursday, May 14.

“Many other changes will be implemented including 14 hand sanitizer stations throughout the property, 50% less seating in the food court with decals to keep physical distancing in place, and signage throughout the centre,” reads a Facebook post from the mall.

It appears as though individual stores in Park Place Mall will be able to open after this date if they choose. LNN has heard that some stores, including Below The Belt, plan to reopen on May 19.

Dr. Hinshaw also provided her daily update on COVID-19 cases.

Another 45 infections were confirmed Tuesday, bringing the provincial total to 6,345. Of those, only 1,361 are still active.

73 people remain in hospital, 12 of whom have been admitted to ICU.

582 employees at the JBS meatpacking plant in Brooks have fully recovered from COVID-19, while 44 cases are still active.

This is the same for 25 active cases at Cargill in High River. 920 workers no longer show any symptoms.

The breakdown by regional health zone is as follows:

• Calgary zone – 4,325 cases, 1,017 active
  • 83 deaths (one new)
  • 52 in hospital, seven in ICU
  • 81,128 tests
• South zone – 1,162 cases, 237 active
  • Seven deaths
  • Seven in hospital, three in ICU
  • 14,404 tests
• Edmonton zone – 508 cases, 60 active
  • 12 deaths
  • Nine in hospital, two in ICU
  • 51,066 tests
• North zone – 227 cases, 26 active
  • 15 deaths
  • Five in hospital
  • 13,692 tests
• Central zone – 98 cases, 15 active
  • One death
  • 14,669 tests

The breakdown for the South Health Zone by community is as follows:

• Brooks – 1,060 cases, 207 active, six deaths
• Medicine Hat – 34 cases, six active
• Lethbridge – 19 cases, seven active
  • South Lethbridge – 10 cases, five active
  • West Lethbridge – Seven cases, zero active
  • North Lethbridge – Two cases, two active
• County of Newell – 13 cases, two active
• Cardston County – 10 cases (two new), seven active
• Cypress County – 10 cases, three active
• Fort Macleod – Four cases (one new), three active
• Special Areas No. 2 – Two cases, zero active, one death
• M.D. of Taber – Two cases, zero active
• County of Forty Mile – Two cases, zero active
• Lethbridge County – One case, zero active

For local news delivered daily to your email inbox, subscribe for free to the Lethbridge News Now newsletter here. You can also download the Lethbridge News Now mobile app in the Google Play and the Apple App Stores.