Check against delivery.
Thank you, Tom, and good afternoon everyone.
Before we begin today, I’d like to talk once again about stigma and compassion.
This has been a tough year, and I know that many people have a great deal of anxiety, fear and frustration.
We continue to hear reports of communities or ethnic groups being stigmatized, and of health care workers or their families being singled out as uniquely contagious.
We are all equally at risk. COVID-19 does not care about a person’s occupation, race, or religion.
It does not respect postal codes or county lines.
Despite everyone’s best efforts, every one of us has the potential to be exposed.
The more than 75,000 Albertans who have contracted COVID-19 to date are proof of that.
Every case and every outbreak is identified because people chose to care not only about their health, but the health of their friends and neighbours.
The responsible thing to do if you’re feeling unwell is to stay at home and get tested.
And if you receive a positive test result or are a close contact of a COVID-19 case, to cooperate with public health and follow their instructions.
The right thing to do if you find out someone has COVID-19 is to treat them with the kindness and compassion that you would want for yourself or for your loved ones, if they should contract the virus.
Many different areas and communities have become hot spots at some point since the pandemic began.
Stigmatizing groups or individuals does not make you safer.
It does create additional stress for those fighting COVID, and it can generate a dangerous ‘us versus them’ wedge that drives a wedge between us.
By singling out and discriminating against those with the virus, we are discouraging others from getting tested and working with public health to stop the chain of transmission.
In this time of the year when caring for each other is what we celebrate, I am asking Albertans to be caring and supportive to each other, especially those people and groups who happen to contract COVID-19 or be identified as close contacts.
Turning to today’s update, over the last 24 hours, we have identified 1,566 new cases of COVID-19, and completed about 16,800 new tests.
Our provincial positivity rate currently sits at approximately 9%, and we now have 20,163 active cases.
There are 682 people in hospital, including 124 who have been admitted to the ICU.
Sadly, there were 13 deaths related to COVID-19 reported to us in the last 24 hours.
My heart goes out to the family and friends of all those individuals, and to anyone who has lost a loved one to this virus or any other cause.
In schools, there are currently active alerts or outbreaks in 432 schools, or about 18% of schools in the province.
Currently these schools have a combined total of 1,789 active cases.
This number includes 113 schools on the watch list.
Finally, I’d like to take a moment today to talk about the holidays.
I know the new restrictions on all indoor and outdoor social gatherings have disappointed many Albertans as we enter the holiday season.
In a year filled with so many sacrifices, it seems unfair to ask for more – but as social gatherings are a leading cause of transmission, this is our only option.
I have been inspired by the creativity, sense of community and perseverance I’ve seen as people across our province embrace the reality of the situation and plan to make the most of it.
We don’t need to look farther than Hanukkah, an important holiday for people of the Jewish faith that begins this evening.
Typically, this would be the beginning of eight days spent celebrating the Festival of Lights with loved ones.
But since that isn’t possible this year, many groups have put plans in place for safe, meaningful celebrations that respect the public health restrictions in place.
In preparation for the holiday, the Jewish Federation of Edmonton held a virtual Hanukkah cooking demonstration last week.
And beginning tonight, they are hosting a virtual series of celebrations called No Menorah Lit Alone.
This will make sure that everyone in their community has someone to light their menorah with and can share in the spirit of the holiday from the safety of their home.
In Calgary, the Chabad Lubavitch (Ha-bawd Lou-bah-vidge) of Alberta has created and delivered an incredible 2,500 gift boxes to bring the light of the holiday to people’s homes in the city and in small communities across Alberta.
These examples not only demonstrate that light can help push darkness away, they also show us that we can still enjoy the holiday season.
Yes, COVID is affecting our Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa plans – but it doesn’t need to ruin the holiday, too.
I’d like to hear how you’re planning to celebrate safely so we can share that information with others.
So as you come up with ideas, please share them with us on social media using the hashtag #AlbertaCares to help others as well with creative ideas.
These are challenging times, but we are all in this together, and will get through this together.
Thank you and I’m happy to answer any questions.