By Chris Brown

defending Alberta's reopening roadmap

Kenney says reopening plan a response to vaccine science; Hinshaw calls it prudent

May 27, 2021 | 4:56 PM

Premier Jason Kenney is defending the province’s Open For Summer plan, calling it a safe and cautious plan to reopen Alberta and get back to normal.

And the chief medical officer of health calls threw her support behind it.

At the Thursday COVID-19 update, the premier said the Open For Summer plan is based on declining hospitalizations and the protective effect of vaccines.

“This is Alberta’s response to the science of vaccines, of population protection,” said Kenney. “Because at the end of the day we cannot permanently rely on damaging public health restrictions to protect our public health from this pandemic.”

Kenney said the government is not coercing people into getting the vaccine by tying the reopening to the rate of vaccinations administered.

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He said getting the vaccine is a voluntary decision and the legislature is set to pass an amendment to the Public Health Act to remove the power of government to coerce people to get the vaccine.

But, he said, the most powerful thing people can do to protect those close to you and the broader society and contribute to a safe reopening is to get the vaccine.

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw says she and her team were fully engaged in the development of the Open For Summer plan and that she supports it.

“I believe that this plan will work for Alberta, but it will take all of us,” said Hinshaw.

“I believe this plan is a prudent approach to reopening, with Stage 1 prioritizing the easing of low-risk outdoor activities and only proceeding to the next stage as thresholds are met and the two-week window ends.”

She said the stage is much more cautious than the plans in B.C. and Saskatchewan and their easing of Stage 1.

She said they also considered the health effects of the public health measures needed over the past year.

“It is my opinion that we need to be as mindful of recovering from the impacts that the last year has had on Albertans’ mental health, wellbeing and the determinants of health as we are of the direct impacts of COVID-19 infection.”

She said second doses are essential and are an integral part of Alberta’s path forward. An announcement on broader eligibility for a second dose is expected next week.

Hinshaw also said that she doesn’t believe the Calgary Stampede will be a risk to the health system if the proposed targets are achieved.

(CHAT News Today)