What you need to know about COVID-19 in Alberta on Monday, Oct. 26

The latest:

• Alberta reported 1,440 new cases over the weekend — more than the number of cases reported in the entire month of June, and nearly as many as were reported in the month of May. 
• There are now a total of 4,477 active cases in the province, which has continued to hit record high numbers over the past week. 
• Seven more people have died, bringing total deaths in the province to 307. 
• In both Calgary and Edmonton, the positivity rate is now above four per cent, triggering a new 15-person limit for social gatherings in an effort to reduce the spread. 
• The province is also recommending voluntary measures in both cities: wearing non-medical masks in all indoor work settings, except when people are in cubicles or when they can be safely distanced from others, and limiting themselves to no more than three cohorts. 
• Okotoks has activated its mandatory mask bylaw as the town is now under a watch status. 
• There are 118 people in hospital, 16 of whom are in intensive care. 
• Of current active cases in the province, 45 per cent have an unknown source.
• There are outbreaks at 11 per cent of the province's schools, or 101 schools, 39 of which have more than five cases. There are 680 cases in schools.
• All of the Alberta politicians who came into contact with a provincial cabinet minister infected with COVID-19 have tested negative for the coronavirus, the province said Monday.
• Alberta's non-profit sector is struggling as the pandemic continues to get in the way of crucial fundraising activities, with an estimate that 20 per cent of the non-profit groups in the province could be forced to shut down.
• A COVID-19 outbreak has spread at the Calgary Correctional Centre, with 65 cases as of Monday — 53 inmates and 12 staff. 

What you need to know today in Alberta:

The number of active cases of COVID-19 in Alberta reached 4,477 Monday, the highest ever recorded in the province. The previous record of 3,651 was reported on Friday. Before this past week, which set new records on multiple days in a row, the highest active case total was 3,022, which was reported on April 30 at the peak of the first wave.

The 1,440 cases reported over the weekend — 364 Friday, 572 Saturday and 504 Sunday — are more than was reported during the entire month of June, and nearly as many as were reported in May. 

"We have now crossed a tipping point and are losing the balance we have been seeking," Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, said Monday.

"I don't ask that you fear COVID-19, but that you respect it … COVID is a novel disease that is not just the flu. It has the ability to overwhelm our health system and weaken essential services if we let it do so."

The province has now placed a mandatory 15-person limit on all social gatherings in Calgary and Edmonton, like house parties or wedding receptions. 

It's also recommending two voluntary measures in both cities: wearing non-medical masks in all indoor work settings, except when people are in cubicles or when they can be safely distanced from others, and limiting themselves to no more than three cohorts. 

The active case rate per 100,000 people is 101.4 in Calgary and 174.8 in Edmonton. 

On Saturday, Premier Jason Kenney says he has no plans to shut down restaurants and bars again due to the pandemic despite Alberta's growing COVID-19 cases. 

During the past month, jumps in the number of diagnosed cases of COVID-19 have prompted the Ontario and Quebec governments to stop indoor dining in restaurants in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec City.

Multiple infected inmates at the Calgary Correctional Centre tell CBC News they are living through "inhumane conditions" — in cells typically reserved for those deemed to be the jail's most disruptive prisoners — while a wave of COVID-19 rapidly spreads through the facility.

As of Monday, 65 people — 53 inmates and 12 staff — have tested positive for COVID-19. Based on those numbers, Edmonton-based criminal defence lawyer Tom Engel says the outbreak has the potential to be "disastrous" in the facility.

There have been no positive COVID-19 tests among all of the Alberta politicians who came into contact with Alberta Municipal Affairs Minister Tracy Allard, who tested positive last week, the province said Monday.

Karen Ball, the interim president of the Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations, says out of the 26,000 non-profit groups in the province, 20 per cent could be forced to shut down due to factors like increased demand and challenges getting people to volunteer — especially among a core volunteer cohort of those over age 55, who may be more vulnerable to the coronavirus.

The numbers are being based on comparable predictions in Ontario and B.C along with Alberta's soft economy. 

Travellers entering Canada by land or air through Alberta will soon have the option of being rapid-tested for COVID-19 at the border, the province announced Thursday. The mandatory quarantine period for returning international travellers will be maintained for now, but the 14-day self-isolation period could be shortened to about 48 hours if a traveller receives a negative COVID-19 test result.

This voluntary screening option will be available for foreign essential workers — truckers, health-care and other workers who are exempt from the current federal travel ban — and Canadian citizens returning to the country through Alberta. This pilot project is expected to begin next month. The testing option will be in place only at border points in the Prairie province to start, but it could be rolled out in other places nationwide in the coming weeks, sources said.

Fears that Alberta's little brown bats could become infected with COVID-19 may temporarily halt efforts to track the hibernation habits of a colony hibernating in the province's largest hibernaculum.

Here's the regional breakdown of active cases reported on Monday:

• Edmonton zone: 2,179, up from 1,751 reported on Friday. 
• Calgary zone: 1,549, up from 1,307.
• South zone: 234, up from 204.
• North zone: 222, up from 198.
• Central zone: 126, unchanged.
• Unknown: 11, down from 13.

Find out which neighbourhoods or communities have the most cases, how hard people of different ages have been hit, the ages of people in hospital, how Alberta compares to other provinces and more in: Here are the latest COVID-19 statistics for Alberta — and what they mean

What you need to know today in Canada:

As of 11:15 a.m. ET on Monday, Canada had 217,763 confirmed or presumptive coronavirus cases. Provinces and territories listed 183,102 of those as recovered or resolved. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial reports, regional health information and CBC's reporting rose to 9,962.

Ontario reported 851 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, down from Sunday's tally of more than 1,000 new cases. 

Most of the new cases were reported in Toronto, York and Peel regions and Ottawa. The province reported 1,042 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, a record number for a single day.

Quebec, which has recorded more than 100,000 COVID-19 cases since the global pandemic began, reported 879 new cases on Sunday.

Retailer Le Château is seeking court protection from its creditors while it winds down its operations and liquidates its assets. The Montreal-based fashion chain with 123 locations across Canada and 1,400 employees said in a release Friday that it has applied for protection from its creditors under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act, or CCAA.

The chain said the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had an "evident impact on consumer demand for Le Château's holiday party and occasion wear."

Officials at the EU have moved to halt Canadians from travelling to the bloc of European nations amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Canadian Transportation Agency has failed to settle a single complaint from Canadians demanding refunds for cancelled flights since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, CBC News has learned. 

The independent tribunal said it has been inundated with close to 10,000 complaints from mid-March, when global air travel largely ground to a halt, until Oct. 16. 

The agency confirmed it's still processing complaints it received before March 11; it has yet to deal with any cases filed during the public health crisis.

Self-assessment and supports:

With winter cold and influenza season approaching, Alberta Health Services will prioritize Albertans for testing who have symptoms, and those groups which are at higher risk of getting or spreading the virus.

General asymptomatic testing is no longer available to anyone, but voluntary asymptomatic testing is available to:

• school teachers and staff.
• health-care workers.
• staff and residents at long-term care and congregate living facilities.
• any Albertans experiencing homelessness.
• travellers requiring a test before departure.

Additional groups can also access asymptomatic testing if required.

The province says Albertans who have returned to Canada from other countries must self-isolate. Unless your situation is critical and requires a call to 911, Albertans are advised to call Health Link at 811 before visiting a physician, hospital or other health-care facility.

If you have symptoms, even mild, you are to self-isolate for at least 10 days from the onset of symptoms, until the symptoms have disappeared. 

You can find Alberta Health Services' latest coronavirus updates here.

The province also operates a confidential mental health support line at 1-877-303-2642 and addiction help line at 1-866-332-2322, both available 24 hours a day. 

Online resources are available for advice on handling stressful situations and ways to talk with children.

There is a 24-hour family violence information line at 310-1818 to get anonymous help in more than 170 languages, and Alberta's One Line for Sexual Violence is available at 1-866-403-8000, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.