EDMONTON — Alberta's chief medical officer of health says Albertans can't let the COVID-19 pandemic divide them.
Deena Hinshaw says people in small towns where infection rates are low have to remember those rates can spike very quickly.
And she says young people who may be socializing with friends need to be careful about making older members of their family sick.
Hinshaw says she's not trying to create an us-versus-them mentality between urban and rural people or between younger and older Albertans.
She says it's easy for young people to feel invincible or for small-town residents to feel like COVID-19 is a city problem.
But she says everybody has to keep their guard up or the virus gets an opportunity to claim a new victim.
"We all still have a responsibility to protect each other," Hinshaw told reporters Monday.
"Our caring actions are still each other's only protection."
Hinshaw says Alberta reported 258 new cases over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There were four deaths.
Alberta now has 1,172 cases, with 45 requiring hospitalization and nine in intensive care.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 24, 2020
The Canadian Press
