LAKELAND - The Government of Alberta has announced renewed public health restrictions Wednesday evening, following a continued increase in active COVID-19 cases across the province and well over 200 Albertans now in intensive care.
Premier Jason Kenney announced a state of public health emergency has been declared as he addressed the province on Sept. 15 and noted the current situation has exceeded high-end projections. The health care system could run out of beds to treat patients in the next 10 days.
The Premier stated it will take a number of steps to slow transmission and reduce stress on the health care system.
"This is a crisis of the unvaccinated," said Kenney, as he encouraged unvaccinated Albertans to get immunized. Kenney noted that being vaccinated is not just a personal choice, and that being unvaccinated has real consequences.
"Protection of life must be our paramount concern," said Kenney.
A number of new public health measures are being introduced as of Sept. 16. Those measures include a return to mandatory work-from-home measures, along with restrictions for indoor private gatherings that vary between vaccinated and unvaccinated Albertans.
"Indoor private gatherings for vaccine-eligible, fully vaccinated individuals are limited to a single household plus one other household to a maximum of 10 people, with no restrictions on children under the age of 12," according to the Government of Alberta. Whereas, "Attendance at any indoor private social gathering is not permitted for vaccine-eligible individuals who are unvaccinated."
Masking continues to be mandated in all public places, and physical distancing will also now be required.
Outdoor private social gatherings are allowed to a maximum of 200 people, with two-metre physical distancing maintained at all times.
Places of worship are also being affected and must limit attendance to one-third fire code capacity. Face masks will be mandatory at places of worship and there must be physical distancing between households, or two close contacts for those living alone.
Weddings and funerals will also be affected by the new public health restrictions, as of Sept. 20.
Restaurants
"Outdoor dining only with a maximum of six individuals per table" will be allowed at restaurants.
Minister of Health Tyler Shandro encouraged Albertans to use take-out, drive-thrus, and delivery when possible to continue supporting the restaurant industry.
He also encouraged every Albertan to get fully vaccinated.
"I know that these measures impact everyone," said Shandro.
Schools and sports
Kenney said the government has sought to reduce the impact on children when implementing the new public health measures.
After excluding schools from the province's return to a mandatory mask mandate in public spaces earlier in the month, resulting in varying rules in schools across Alberta, the provincial government is now requiring masks be worn at schools by all students in Grade 4 and up, and by all staff and teachers of all grades.
According to information released by the province on Wednesday evening, schools that can implement an alternate COVID safety plan can be exempted from mandatory masking.
"Elementary schools are to implement class cohorting," according to the Government of Alberta.
Physical activities in schools can continue and youth aged 18 and under are not required to wear a mask or maintain two-metre distance when engaged in physical activity. There are no restrictions on outdoor activities, and indoor sports, performance, recreation and special interests are allowed to continue with requirements for two-metre physical distancing when possible.
For children's sport, performance and recreation, indoor activities are permitted, with requirements for two-metre physical distancing and masking where possible, and symptom screening for participants are required.
"Youth aged 18 and under are not required to mask or maintain physical distancing during a physical activity, such as a team sport," according to the provincial government, but "spectator attendance is limited to one-third fire code capacity. Attendees must be masked and ensure physical distancing between different households or an individual who lives alone and their two close contacts."
There are not restrictions on outdoor activities for youth.
No group indoor activities or team sports are allowed for adults, while the new measures are in place.
"One-on-one training or individual workouts are permitted but three-metre physical distancing is required," according to the Government of Alberta. Once again, there are no restrictions on outdoor activities.
Proof of vaccination program
A proof of vaccination program is also being introduced in the province.
"Starting Sept. 20, vaccine-eligible individuals will be required to provide government-issued proof of immunization or a negative privately-paid COVID-19 test from within the previous 72 hours to access a variety of participating social, recreational and discretionary events and businesses throughout the province."
If businesses choose not to require proof of vaccination, they will be required to adhere to all health measures.
This program does not apply to businesses or entities that need to be accessed for daily living, such as grocery stores.
Albertans can access copies of their COVID-19 vaccination records through MyHealth Records. But, for the time being, Albertans should avoid logging into MyHealth Records to download their records, said Shandro.
The printable card, which was announced earlier in the week and was expected to be made available on Sept. 16, will now only be available on Sunday.
During Wednesday's announcement, Kenney apologized for having embraced the shift from pandemic to endemic earlier this summer, although he did not apologize for opening the province over the summer months. He noted that the pandemic has been a very divisive topic, and he has encouraged people to "find some common ground" and show patience to those who have different views.
Updated numbers
The province also updated the current active cases of COVID-19 and hospitalization numbers on Wednesday.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw noted that 24 deaths have been recorded in the past 24 hours, which translates to one death every hour of the day.
"We are in a crisis," said Hinshaw, adding, "Vaccines are the key."
She stated the impact of the current wave is worse than any of the past waves that have moved through the province.
In the Lakeland, there are currently 267 active cases of COVID-19 in the MD of Bonnyville region, 151 in the Cold Lake region, 143 in the St. Paul region, 95 in the Smoky Lake region, and 44 in the Lac La Biche region.
When faced with questions by reporters asking if Kenney, Hinshaw or Shandro would be resigning as a result of the province's response to the fourth wave, Kenney stated it would be impossible to sustain serious intrusions in people's lives indefinitely. He said he did not apologize for reducing restrictions in the summer, and acknowledged that he said a lot of optimistic things, adding, he believes it is his job as a leader to provide hope.
