Premier Jason Kenney

By Connor Gunn

Nearly all COVID restrictions now lifted in Alberta

Jul 1, 2021 | 5:00 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Albertans can now celebrate on Canada Day. Stage 3 of Alberta’s Open for Summer Plan starts July 1 as nearly all COVID-19 restrictions in the province are being lifted.

Earlier this week, both the Lethbridge’s and Taber’s mask bylaws were repealed, and both align with the provincial removal of the mandate.

Premier Jason Kenney says he’s happy that Alberta can have a fairly “normal” Canada Day.

“This is a great day for Alberta! Thanks to the diligence of Albertans and the decision of 2.7 million folks to get vaccinated, we are now just two weeks away from getting our lives back to normal. This is an important milestone and a great achievement, but we will not stop here. We will keep administering first and second doses as quickly as possible so we’re not just open for summer, but open for good.”

In order to make it to Stage 3, the province had to make the following milestones.

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Stage 3: Two weeks after 70% of Albertans 12+ (born in 2009 or earlier) have received at least one dose. Effective July 1.

• All restrictions lifted, including the ban on indoor social gatherings
• Isolation requirements for confirmed cases of COVID-19 and some protective measures in continuing care settings remain
• The general indoor provincial mask mandate will be lifted, but masking may still be required in limited and specific settings
• More information will be shared prior to the start of Stage 3

The provincial government recently announced the Open for Summer Vaccine Lottery, where everyone who has been at least partially immunized can enter to win one of three $1-million jackpots or a variety of travel prizes.

With Stage 3 started, the winner of the first lottery draw will happen on July 1.

READ MORE: Travel prizes added to Alberta’s “Open for Summer Vaccine Lottery”

Lethbridge’s mask bylaw discussion seemed like an easy decision to some councillors Tuesday, and for some, it was quite different.

After council voted down a motion earlier this month that stated the city would introduce a new bylaw to get rid of the Temporary Mandatory Face Covering Bylaw (Bylaw 6239) within 24 hours of the province declaring that Stage 3 would be commencing, which would have set the stage for both the municipal and provincial mask mandates being lifted at the same time.

After extensive debate about whether council should remove its mask bylaw, the doctors assured councillors that the vaccines are one of the only sure things to work during a pandemic and to help end it.

Council needed unanimous support in order to pass the repealing of the bylaw which was doubted early on in the meeting but eventually came to a 9-0 vote.

More on council’s motion can be found here.