Although there have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Alberta, St. Albert and area soccer teams have nixed shaking hands at the end of games in order to prevent the potential spread of the virus.
On Jan. 31, both the St. Albert Soccer Association (SASA) and the Edmonton Minor Soccer Association (EMSA) said they will cheer and clap for the other team rather than shake hands after a game. The organizations said they want to take “a proactive approach to keep the spread of germs to a minimum.”
“For the remainder of the regular season, at the end of all EMSA games players will not shake hands, both teams will stand in front of each other and cheer/clap for the other team, and then cheer/clap for the referees,” the EMSA notice reads.
“Immediately after they will advance to their respective dressing rooms."
SASA is asking players and coaches to give no high fives or handshakes after the games, but rather say “good game” to the other team after the competition wraps.
The coronavirus outbreak started in early 2020 and there have been more than 20,500 cases confirmed worldwide with at least 427 deaths.
The vast majority of the infections, and all but two of the deaths, were in mainland China. As of Tuesday afternoon, there were only four confirmed cases of the illness in Canada, with three in Ontario and one in Vancouver.
The virus has been declared a public health emergency of international concern by the World Heath Organization, but with no probable or confirmed cases in Alberta, Alberta Health Services said the risk to Albertans is low.
Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Heath, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, said there are no cases of 2019 novel coronavirus in Alberta.
“The current risk to Albertans of contracting the coronavirus is still low. Our ability to identify travel-related cases and prevent the infection from spreading is exactly what our surveillance systems are designed to do,” Hinshaw stated in a news release.
“Respiratory infections are much more likely to be caused by a common virus, such as influenza. If, however, any Albertan has specific concerns about being exposed or possible symptoms related to the novel coronavirus, I encourage them to call Health Link at 811 or contact their health provider.”
Symptoms of coronavirus include fever, difficulty breathing, coughing and generally feeling unwell.
