Alberta’s Restrictions Exemption Program ends at midnight

“The vast majority of Albertans are now fully vaccinated. It’s a major factor that now allows us to ease restrictions, but we will do so only as conditions show that our health system’s capacity is recovering. Albertans can help make that possible by getting every vaccine dose they are eligible for,” added Jason Copping, Minister of Health.

Subsequent steps will see changes to working from home, masking requirements, large venue capacity limits and indoor social gathering limits, with a final step removing isolation requirements and COVID-specific measures in continuing care settings. The lifting of restrictions is expected to progress once pressures on the health-care system have sufficiently eased, say government officials.

Step one

Effective Feb. 8 at 11:59 p.m.:

Restrictions Exemption Program (REP) ends, along with most associated restrictions.
Entertainment venues will continue to have some specific rules in place: restrictions on sale of food and beverages and consumption while seated in audience settings will be removed.
- Restrictions on closing times, alcohol service, table capacity in restaurants and interactive activities will remain in force.
For all businesses, venues and facilities – whether they were previously eligible for the REP or not – capacity limits are removed, except for:
- Facilities with capacity of 500 to 1,000, which will be limited to 500.
- Facilities with capacity of 1,000-plus, which will be limited to 50 per cent.

Effective at 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 13:

Masks will no longer be required for all children and youth in schools.
Masks will no longer be required in any setting for children aged 12 and under.

Step two

Effective March 1:

Any remaining provincial school requirements (including cohorting) will be removed.
Screening prior to youth activities will no longer be required.
Capacity limits will be lifted for all venues.
Limits on social gatherings will be removed.
Provincial mask mandate will be removed.
Mandatory work from home removed.

Step three

To be determined based on hospitalization rates continuing to trend downwards

COVID-specific measures in continuing care will be removed.
Mandatory isolation becomes a recommendation only.

Additional details on all restrictions and measures in place will be released prior to each step at alberta.ca/CovidMeasures.

NDP Health Critic David Shepherd issued the following statement in response to today’s COVID-19 update:

“Earlier this evening, Jason Kenney and the UCP outlined their plan to remove all public health restrictions that were put in place to help reduce spread and protect our healthcare system from being overwhelmed due to COVID-19.

“This decision was made without consulting municipalities, some of which have their own local public health measures in place, and it was made without clear communication to Albertans about the path ahead.

“Public health mandates should not be set by individuals illegally blocking access to our border. It should be made when we see clear evidence that it is safe to move away from those public health restrictions.

“Time and time again, this Premier acts last and acts least at every step of the pandemic.

Where he will act first is when it comes to trying to save his political career. His leadership vote is pending and as a result he, and the entire UCP, are allowing an illegal blockade to dictate public health. That is cowardly.”

“We’ve already seen that lifting all restrictions and pretending the pandemic is over doesn’t work,” says Guy Smith, president of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE). “We saw that when the ‘best summer ever’ turned into a collapsing health-care system.”

This plan, Smith says, risks creating the same problem that Albertans have seen repeatedly over this pandemic—a brief period of reopening, followed by another wave.

“Everybody wants this pandemic to end, everyone is sick of it,” he says. “Nobody feels that more than health-care workers, and all front-line workers. That’s why it’s so disappointing that this government continues to prioritize short-term polling over long-term planning.”

“Here we go again. Each time the UCP government has lifted public health protections they’ve rushed to do it too soon and been met with outcry from concerned public health experts, health care workers, and advocates,” says Chris Gallaway, Executive Director of Friends of Medicare. “But throughout this crisis, we’ve been repeatedly ignored by a government more concerned with protecting private profits than the health and wellbeing of the people of this province and our health care system.”

“Our hospitals are still overcapacity, we’re facing staffing shortages throughout our health care system, and surgeries are still being canceled, yet this government continues to dodge their responsibility for protecting the safety of health care workers and patients,” adds Gallaway.

“This province’s pandemic response continues to be made based on political whims and short-sighted ideological bents, rather than evidence, and what’s best for protecting our collective public health.”

by Sheldon Spackman