Premier Jason Kenney. (Government of Alberta)

By David Opinko

BREAKING: Stage 2 of Alberta’s relaunch confirmed for Friday, June 12

Jun 9, 2020 | 12:42 PM

EDMONTON, AB – More businesses will soon be able to reopen.

Premier Jason Kenney announced Tuesday that Stage 2 will be happening on Friday.

“This Friday, June 12, well ahead of schedule, Stage 2 of the relaunch will go into effect for the entire province, and several activities that we had planned for Stage 3 will be brought forward into Stage 2.”

Kenney says there were three main factors in setting the date for when they did, including COVID-19 hospitalizations falling in consecutive weeks, the number of ICU beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, and active cases of the virus.

As of Tuesday, only five Albertans remain in ICU and 355 people were still afflicted.

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“This decision is anchored in science and solid data.”

The Premier adds that monitoring the health and safety of Albertans will continue to be a top priority going forward.

“Let me stress that no one should feel obliged to participate in any activity until they’re ready and confident to do so, and that includes reopening businesses that have been affected.”

Newly allowed activities, with health restrictions, include:

• K-12 schools for diploma exams and summer schools
• Libraries
• More surgeries
• Community halls
• Team sports
• Wellness services like massage, acupuncture, and reflexology
• Personal services like esthetics, cosmetic skin and body treatments, manicures, pedicures, waxing, facial treatment, artificial tanning
• Movie and live theatres
• Community halls
• Indoor recreation, fitness, and sports facilities including gyms
• Pools for leisure swimming
• Instrumental concerts
• Casinos and bingo halls
• VLTs in restaurants and lounges

As for event gatherings, the following changes have been announced:

• Maximum 50 people:
  • Indoor social gatherings – including wedding and funeral receptions, and birthday parties
• Maximum 100 people:
  • Outdoor events and indoor seated/audience events – including wedding and funeral ceremonies
• No cap on the number of people (with public health measures and physical distancing in place):
  • Worship gatherings
  • Restaurants, cafés, lounges and bars
  • Casinos
  • Bingo halls

There is more flexibility for ‘cohort’ groups – small groups of people whose members do not always keep two metres apart:

• A household can increase its close interactions with other households to a maximum of 15 people
• Performers can have a cohort of up to 50 people (cast members or performers)
• Sports teams can play in region-only cohorts of up to 50 players (mini leagues)
• People could be part of a sports/performing and household cohort

Still not approved in Stage 2:

• Social gatherings that exceed above-listed maximums
• Regular in-school classes for kindergarten to Grade 12. Classes will resume September 2020
• Vocal concerts (as singing carries a higher risk of transmission)
• Major festivals and concerts, large conferences, trade shows, and events (as these are non-seated social events and/or vocal concerts)
• Nightclubs
• Amusement parks
• Hookah lounges (permitted for food and drink only)
• Major sporting events and tournaments
• Non-essential travel outside the province is not recommended. This recommendation will not be lifted until stage three of the relaunch strategy.

The success of stage two will determine when Alberta progresses to stage three. Factors are active cases, health-care system capacity, hospitalization and intensive care unit (ICU) cases, and infection rates.

Below: Watch Health Minister Tyler Shandro and Premier Jason Kenney announce Stage 2 of the Relaunch Strategy.