The government of Alberta is considering setting up more field hospitals as part of its COVID-19 “contingency plan,” and has asked the Canadian Red Cross for help with that.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Alberta have risen steadily in recent weeks, as have daily infections, with a total of 504 in hospital on Wednesday, with 97 being treated in ICUs.

Health Minister Tyler Shandro said the request for the tent is “not something that’s in our current plan.”

“It’s not included in our current plans to increase our acute care bed capacity to 2,250 [for COVID-19 patients],” Shandro said.

But he said officials have reached out to the Red Cross to ask about and negotiate a tent, like the one erected outside the Peter Lougheed Centre in the spring, “if and when we needed it.”

“They’ve begun conversations, but this is not part of our current plans, this is conversations about a contingency plan – which health officials should be doing.”

When asked about when the government believes it may need to enact that contingency plan, Shandro said that was a question for Alberta Health Services.