Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health is urging anyone who took part in any of the protests across the province over the last week to get tested for COVID-19, whether or not they have symptoms.
With Black Lives Matter protests happening in several municipalities, including Grande Prairie, Edmonton, and Calgary, Dr. Deena Hinshaw says the risk of transmission is still very real, and participants must safeguard themselves and others.
“Contact tracing would be extremely difficult in large crowds such as this, so please also be mindful of your actions in the coming two weeks.”
Dr. Hinshaw says she has reached out to several organizing groups with an invitation to talk about how future protests can be structured to help reduce the chance of COVID-19 transmission.
The Grande Prairie protest drew around 1,000 people to the downtown core. Organizers stressed physical distancing ahead of time, and many participants were seen wearing masks.