The province’s top doctor is encouraging Albertans to keep holiday gatherings small and within individual households this year.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw says she doesn’t know what specific COVID-19 measures will be in place come Christmastime, adding those restrictions will be determined by cabinet in the next couple of weeks.

However, she says this is not the year for office parties or large family gatherings and that we should all start making plans for virtual celebrations.

There were 1307 new cases of COVID-19 reported on Nov. 30 out of 15,816 tests for a provincial positivity rate of about 8.4 per cent.

As of the end of day Monday, there were 16,628 active cases with 479 people in hospital, 97 of them in the ICU.

Ten additional COVID-related deaths were also reported, one of them in the South Zone in Cardston County.

Of the 42 new cases confirmed in southern Alberta on Nov. 30, 16 were in Lethbridge and three were in Lethbridge County.

There were also eight new cases reported in the MD of Taber and three new cases in Cardston County.