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Mayor Naheed Nenshi announced the state of local emergency with CEMA Chief Tom Sampson and city manager David Duckworth late Sunday.

“This is very, very, very serious,” Nenshi said. “But what we need to do is not panic, not stockpile, but be prepared and be thoughtful about what we’re doing moving forward.”

The provincial government significantly ramped up measures to fight the spread of COVID-19 on Sunday, including cancelling all K-12 and post-secondary classes “indefinitely.” Licensed daycares have also been ordered to close.

The province said last week that public gatherings of more than 250 people should be cancelled, prompting widespread cancellations of events across Alberta. The limit on public gatherings now also applies to places of worship, and Premier Jason Kenney urged people to cancel any recreational travel they have planned for March Break.

Duckworth said closing city facilities was an “incredibly difficult” decision.

“I want to make sure Calgarians understand that the critical services they rely on every day from the city will continue.”

Nenshi said it was “heartbreaking” to close libraries, but given the closure of schools, he said the city wouldn’t have the capacity to keep people safe there.

He said the physical distancing the city is mandating “does not mean not looking after one another,” and he encouraged Calgarians to check in on each other and look out for one another as the outbreak unfolds.