Kenney announces new COVID restrictions as variants surge

COVID-19 variants have been surging in the province lately, leading to an overall significant rise in cases, hospitalizations, and ICU admissions.

If things do not change, he says it could get a lot worse in the weeks and months ahead.

“These are short-term projections and they show that we are on track to hit a weekly average of 2,000 daily cases by the end of this month based only on transmission that has occurred to date. We can expect to see up to 1,000 COVID patients in hospital by the end of this month.”

The new public health measures are as follows:

Retail: Effective April 7

Retail services and shopping malls must limit customer capacity to 15% of fire code occupancy (not including staff) or a minimum of 5 customers

Entertainment and recreation facilities: Effective April 7

Libraries must close.
All entertainment businesses and entities must remain closed, including:
- Casinos, bingo halls, gaming centres
- Racing centres, horse tracks, raceways
- Bowling alleys, pool halls
- Nightclubs
- Art galleries and museums
- Science and interpretive centres
- Amusement and water parks
- Children’s play centres and indoor playgrounds
- Movie theatres, auditoria and concert halls
Facilities used for indoor recreation may open only for individual or household one-on-one fitness training and youth group physical activities. Facilities may include:
- Gyms and studios
- Fitness and recreation centres
- Spas, pools, indoor rinks and arenas
- Community halls and centres

Banquet halls, community halls, conference centres, hotels: Effective April 7

Banquet halls, community halls and conference centres can open for activities permitted under Step 1, such as:
- wedding ceremonies up to 10 people
- funeral services up to 20 people
Wedding receptions, funeral receptions and trade shows are not permitted.
Hotels, motels, hunting and fishing lodges may remain open, but must follow restrictions – no spas, pools or in-person dining (room services only).

Indoor Fitness: Effective April 7:

Team sports are not permitted
- No sports games, competitions, team practice or league play of any kind is allowed.
All group fitness activities are not permitted
- Individual or household one-on-one training only, with a trainer, is permitted.
- All indoor fitness must be scheduled or by appointment – no drop-ins allowed.
Safety requirements
- Masks
  - Masks must be worn by:
    - trainers at all times
    - clients at all times during low intensity exercise – masks are not required during high intensity exercise
- Physical distancing
  - 3 metre physical distancing must be maintained at all times, regardless of the type or intensity of exercise. This includes between pairs of trainers and clients – sessions cannot interact.
- 2 metre physical distancing is required in all other areas of the facilitly, such as entryways and exits, change rooms, etc.
Restrictions for training sessions
- Trainers must be professional, certified and/or paid trainers who are providing active instruction and correction. Passive supervision of a physical activity is not considered training.
- Each trainer can only interact with their assigned client, and each client can only interact with their assigned trainer. No interaction between clients or between trainers is allowed.
- ‘Cycling through’ multiple trainers (as in circuit training) is not permitted.

Performance activities: Effective April 7

Adult performance activities are not permitted.
Performance activities include dancing, singing, acting, playing a musical instrument, and any rehearsal or theatrical performance.
Youth development activities such as Scouts, Girl Guides and 4H are allowed. Participants must be 18 years old and under.

Restaurants, bars, pubs, lounges, cafes: Effective April 9 at noon:

in-person service is not permitted indoors.
Restaurants, pubs, bars, lounges and cafes can open for outdoor patio dining, takeout, curbside pickup and delivery only.
- Patio seating must be limited to a maximum of 6 people per table – individuals must be from the same household or the 2 close contacts for a person living alone.
- Tables and dining parties must be 2 metres apart or separated by an impermeable barrier that will prevent droplet transmission.
- Individuals must stay seated with their dining party unless using the washroom, paying, or entering/exiting the facility. Masks must be worn indoors.
- Contact information must be collected from one person of the dining party.
- Liquor service ends at 10 pm.
- Patio dining must close by 11 pm.
- No entertainment allowed (VLTs, pool tables, live music, etc.).

Kenney also announced a change in how the province approaches the lifting of restrictions.

Instead of being based on COVID hospitalization numbers, they will instead be considered by what percentage of the population has been vaccinated against the virus.

(Government of Alberta)

There were also three new additional announcements made regarding the distribution of vaccines in the province.

Increased eligibility for vaccines (expanding Phase 2B) starting Wednesday:
- Albertans born in 1974-2005 with underlying health conditions can book appointments
- Albertans aged 55-64 without underlying heath conditions can book appointments
New rapid flowthrough clinics for vaccines will be/have been established in Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, and Grande Prairie
Select pharmacies will soon be able to do walk-in vaccinations

A full list of current COVID-19 restrictions can be found on the provincial government’s website here.

by David Opinko

Kenney announces new COVID restrictions as variants surge

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