Premier Jason Kenney addressed the province about the government's plan moving forward.

Currently, Alberta is facing three main crises: the COVID-19 pandemic, the shutdown of the economy and a collapse of global energy prices, threatening thousands of jobs.

According to Kenney, fighting the pandemic and protecting the economy are intertwined and both must be addressed in order to get through this.

Per capita, Alberta has the second highest number of infections in Canada, in part due to the province having one of the highest testing numbers worldwide.

"That’s a good thing, because it has helped us track the close contacts of those who are infected, which limits the spread," said Kenney.

So far, the curve in Alberta is much lower than many other parts of the world, following a similar trend to South Korea.

Future predictions

Despite Alberta's strong response to the crisis, the province isn't out of the woods yet. It is possible the current public health orders may remain in place until at least the end of April. Models suggest people won’t be able to start relaxing social distancing measures until the end of May.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) has two models for the future; a probable scenario and an elevated one.

Under the probable scenario, they predict Alberta will hit the peak of infections in mid-May. From the beginning of the outbreak to the end of summer, there could be as many as 800,000 infections and up to 3,100 deaths.

For the elevated scenario, infections will peak at the beginning of May, with as many as 1-million infections and up to 6,600 deaths.

"These models are not a done deal. I want Albertans to see them as a challenge. Perhaps the greatest challenge of our generation."

Kenney stressed the importance of taking this threat seriously and following all guidelines laid out by AHS. Without countermeasures, experts said the province could experience 1.6-million infections and 32,000 deaths – as many as 640 deaths per day. The health system would collapse under the chaos of that scenario.

The province has given AHS an extra $500-million for the fight against COVID-19.

"We are confident that our health system will be able to cope and that we have the supplies on hand to get the job done," said Kenney. "We will spare no expense to prevent the spread, while providing the best possible care to those who need it."

Building the economy

Once the province is past the peak and can begin relaxing the rules, the government will start implementing their Relaunch Strategy, which should gradually open up the economy while preventing a second wave of the virus. To do so, they will be following the examples of countries like Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea.

As part of the strategy, the province has plans for aggressive mass testing, up to 20,000 a day, as well as better tracing of people in close contact with confirmed cases, stronger border screening, strict enforcement of quarantine orders and encouraging the use of masks in crowded public areas.

"The end of the pandemic will not be the end of the economic downturn, the likes of which we have not seen since the 1930s."

Western Canadian oil has fallen as low as $3 a barrel.

"There is a very real possibility that, as global inventories overflow, our energy will hit negative prices. I cannot overstate how grave the implications of this will be for jobs, the economy, and the financial security of Albertans," said Kenney.

"Much of this is due to the COVID-19 recession, but it has been made worse by a predatory price war led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, who are trying permanently to damage North America’s energy industry."

The provincial government has started discussions with United States leaders about a coordinated defence of North American energy, the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, an Economic Recovery Council, and committed $12-billion to their COVID-19 Action Plan.

Kenney warned Alberta’s budget deficit this year may triple, from $7-billion to almost $20-billion.

Current cases

Alberta has now seen 1,373 people test positive for the virus, with 42 currently in the hospital.

Two more people have died, bringing the total up to 26 in the province.

Over 65,000 tests have been run so far.

An update on the cases in Fort Saskatchewan, Strathcona County, Sturgeon County and Lamont County is here