ATHABASCA/BARRHEAD/WESTLOCK - It has been a long time coming, but Premier Jason Kenney’s hope is that the province’s new three-step plan for reopening Alberta will succeed where previous plans have fallen short.
The steady progression toward a full reopening with no COVID-19 restrictions will be based on the number of vaccinations administered to Albertans in the coming weeks, Kenney announced May 26. The Open for Summer Plan will use vaccination numbers along with hospitalizations, as opposed to just hospitalizations as was the case with the previous reopening plan that fell apart with the coming of the third wave of the virus that shut down schools and resulted in the strictest guidelines in Alberta since the pandemic was declared in March 2020.
The Athabasca, Barrhead and Westlock regions also saw their highest numbers of the pandemic by far in the last several months with outbreaks at numerous schools, seniors' residences and businesses.
“This is the day we have all waited for,” Kenney said at the May 26 announcement. “We now have a clear plan to lift all public health restrictions and get back to normal. So long as Albertans continue to get vaccinated in strong numbers, Alberta will be fully open and back to normal for a truly great Alberta summer.”
Stage 1 of the plan is to begin two weeks after 50 per cent of Albertans over 12 have received at least one dose of vaccine and hospitalizations are below 800 and declining; Stage 2 starts two weeks after 60 per cent have at least one dose and hospitalizations continue to fall past 500; and Stage 3 begins two weeks after 70 per cent have had at least one dose.
The threshold for Stage 1 was met May 18, so June 1 will see some restrictions start to ease. Outdoor gatherings will be allowed for up to 10 people, as long as the two-metre physical distancing rule is still followed. This will increase to 20 people in Stage 2, and these restrictions will cease in Stage 3. Outdoor physical, performance and recreational activities for all ages are also permitted for up to 10 distanced people in Stage 1.
Restaurants may resume outdoor patio dining as part of Stage 1 with up to four people per table, as long as they are members of the same household. For those living alone, two close contacts are allowed at the same table with them. In Stage 2, this will increase to six at a table, and the household restriction will be lifted.
Retail stores will be allowed to increase the number of people allowed in to 15 per cent of fire occupancy, and personal and wellness services can reopen for appointments, then for walk-ins in Stage 2. Retail capacity will also increase to 33 per cent of fire occupancy in Stage 2.
Worship services were allowed up to 15 per cent of fire occupancy as of May 28, and that will increase to 33 per cent in Stage 2.
Weddings can have up to 10 people, including the officiant, bride/groom, witnesses and any photographers or videographers, although receptions remain prohibited. Funerals may include up to 20 people, not including facility staff, but may include an outdoor reception in Stage 2.
Gyms may reopen in Stage 2 for solo and drop-in activities, but three metres of distance should be maintained between individuals. Recreation centres, theatres, arenas and libraries will also be allowed to reopen at one-third of fire occupancy. All indoor and outdoor sports may also resume with no restrictions, and youth activities such as day camps and play centres will also be allowed to resume at this time.
Outdoor seating facilities, like grandstands, will also be allowed up to one-third of seating capacity in Stage 2, and public outdoor gatherings for concerts and festivals will be allowed up to 150 people. The work from home order will also be lifted, but will still be recommended.
Indoor gatherings are not allowed until Stage 3, and distancing and masking requirements will remain in effect until that threshold is reached.
Based on the current rate of vaccinations, the government projects Stage 2 to begin in mid-June and Stage 3 in late June or early July, but it all depends on vaccination and hospitalization rates
“Our Open for Summer Plan is a responsible plan to get back to normal while at the same time protecting our health-care system. We will end this pandemic the same way we started it – by ensuring we have world-class health care available to every Albertan who needs it,” said Health Minister Tyler Shandro at the announcement.
Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw also added: “Thanks to vaccines, we can start moving safely forward. Please book your vaccine appointment and also keep following the measures in place for a little while longer. That will protect our communities and this reopening plan.”
Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken said he knows his constituents, and Albertans in general, just want to put the pandemic behind them and get their lives back on track — no matter what their opinions on the restrictions are, that’s something the vast majority can agree on.
“Hopefully this is all changing in about a month, but it's been a long haul, where there's been a lot less, what should we say community social engagement. “Everybody's looking forward to more social interactions,” he said in a May 27 interview.
“As the MLA, I’ve heard so many different perspectives, and it's been such a balancing act trying to help people manage through this, to help people be able to feel that they can feel safe, that they can feel that there's a hope at the end of the at the end of it all in. It's been a very trying time,” he added. “One thing I’ve learned, and that I think a lot of people have learned, is to be able to offer a measure of peace to others, because everybody is experiencing things differently, and it's so important that we recognize that we don't know what each person's day is like.”
