BANFF – The Town of Banff has opened up more isolation rooms as COVID-19 numbers have more than tripled in the community over the past week.
With the growing case count, which includes variants of the virus, the YWCA’s eight isolation spaces are full, prompting the Town to open up the municipally run commercial isolation rooms located at the Banff Centre on Sunday (March 28).
“This is community spread,” said Alison Gerrits, a director of emergency management for the Town of Banff.
“We know that obviously variant cases, in particular, are more transmissible, and because we know we have variant cases present, it gives us cause for concern.”
As of Tuesday (March 30), the number of active cases in the Banff-Lake Louise region was 23 compared to six just seven days earlier.
Banff-Lake Louise had just seven active cases on Nov. 8, 2020, and quickly grew to a peak of 192 active cases by Nov. 29.
The isolation centre at the Banff Centre was established at that time.
The Town of Banff’s emergency social services team and facility staff run the isolation facility at the Banff Centre.
Gerrits said the YWCA, which stepped forward early in the pandemic to offer isolation spaces, is the first isolation space offered, followed by the Banff Centre when the Y is full.
“As of end of day Monday, we had five people in isolation at the Banff Centre and potentially a couple more as of this morning, but that’s not confirmed yet,” she said. “We have a mix of positives and close contacts with positives.”
More than a week ago, Alberta Health Services informed the Town of Banff of initial variant cases in the region – the B117 variant first reported in the United Kingdom.
An influx of visitors to Banff during spring break also presents potential spread of the virus.
This has prompted the Town of Banff to remind people to follow all public health orders such as two-metre distancing, wearing masks and no indoor social gatherings for example.
Gerrits said the number of people in hospital from COVID-19 in the province is starting to rise again, including many younger people who are being affected by the virus.
“I think people are, in some respects, letting their guard down; they’re tired of COVID, they’re tired of the restrictions,” she said.
“For some folks who may not have been impacted personally by this, perhaps they’re not viewing it as being important.”
As of March 30, an additional 576 new cases were identified province-wide, bringing the total active case count in Alberta to 7,975.
There were 301 people in hospital due to COVID-19, including 58 in intensive care.
Alberta Health Services identified 249 new cases of the variants of concern, which now make up 27 per cent of all active cases.
There are 20 active COVID-19 cases in Canmore and 10 in the MD of Bighorn, which includes Harvie Heights, Lac Des Arcs, Exshaw and Stoney Nakoda at Morley.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, said she knows that many people are eager to move on, to ease restrictions and start moving past this pandemic.
“It will take a few more months, but there are things that each of us can do to help make that happen,” she said during her Monday afternoon briefing.
“The first is to get immunized as soon as you are eligible to do so.”
In the meantime, Hinshaw urged people to respect health measures in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 and to protect each other.
“Twice, we have bent the curve before by limiting in-person interactions and by protecting each other and our communities, and we can do it again,” she said.
