Alberta Premier Jason Kenney during Wednesday evening's announcement. (Government of Alberta)

By Justin Goulet

Province declares State of Public Health Emergency, announces new vaccine requirements

Sep 15, 2021 | 7:05 PM

CALGARY, AB – The Government of Alberta has declared a State of Public Health Emergency and has introduced multiple new health and safety requirements.

This comes as Alberta continues to be a hot spot for COVID-19 cases across the country.

READ MORE: 1,609 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Alberta Wednesday

Restrictions are focused on restaurants, indoor gatherings, weddings and funerals, retail, entertainment venues and indoor sport and fitness activities starting September 20.

Measures in workplaces, indoor private gatherings, places of worship, schools and children’s activities, as well as mandatory masking and physical distancing in ALL indoor public spaces begin September 16.

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Effective September 20, businesses or event organizers who choose to implement a ‘restrictions exemption program’, checking patrons for government-issued proof of vaccination OR a recent negative privately purchased COVID-19 test will be able to have an exemption of restrictions.

If a business or service decides not to require proof of vaccination, they will be required to adhere to new health measures.

Below is a rundown of the Restrictions Exemption Program from the province:

• Beginning September 20, vaccine-eligible people 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.
• To enter certain spaces that are participating in the program, including restaurants, bars and indoor organized events, people aged 12 and older will be required to show their proof of vaccination or a negative recent test result.
• Businesses that implement the Restrictions Exemption Program would operate as usual, provided they are serving only people who have proof of immunization or who have a recent privately paid negative test, as per the requirements in place. This means they could immediately and without restriction serve any individual eligible for vaccination who:
  • Has proof of double vaccination (note that for a transitional period between Sept. 20 and Oct. 25, proof of a single dose would be considered acceptable as long as the dose was given two weeks or more before the time of service).
  • Has documentation of a medical exemption.
  • Has proof of a recent (within the previous 72 hours) negative COVID-19 test (either PCR or Rapid Test). The test may not be from Alberta Health Services or Alberta Precision Laboratories.
  • Those under age 12 would not need to provide proof of immunization or a negative test to enter a participating business.
  • This program would not apply to businesses or entities that need to be accessed for daily living.
• Albertans can access copies of their COVID-19 vaccination records through MyHealth Records. For the time being, Albertans should avoid logging into MyHealth Records to download their records. The printable card, which was going to be made available on Sept. 16, will now be available on Sept. 19.

Wednesday evening’s conference detailing the new health protocols can be viewed in full below.

The following measures will take effect on September 16:

WORKPLACES:

• Mandatory work from-home measures are in place unless the employer has determined that a physical presence is required for operational effectiveness.

PRIVATE SOCIAL GATHERINGS:

• 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. No restrictions are in effect on children under 12-years-old.
• Attendance at any indoor private social gathering is not permitted for vaccine-eligible individuals who are not vaccinated.
• Outdoor private social gatherings are permitted to a maximum of 200 people, with two-metre physical distancing maintained at all times.

PLACES OF WORSHIP:

• Places of worship must limit attendance to one-third of fire code occupancy.
• Face masks will be mandatory and there must be two-metre physical distancing between households or two close contacts for people living alone.

OUTDOOR EVENTS & FACILITIES WITH NO INDOOR PORTION (excluding washrooms):

• No attendance restrictions, however, two-metre physical distancing must be in place.

SCHOOLS (K to 12):

• Mandatory masking for students in grades four and up, plus staff and teachers in all grades. Schools that can implement an alternate COVID safety plan can be exempted from mandatory masking.
• Elementary schools are to implement class co-horting.
• For physical activities in schools:
  • Youth aged 18 and under are not required to wear masks or maintain two-metre physical distancing when engaged in physical activity.
  • There are no restrictions on outdoor activities.
  • Indoor sports/performance/recreation/special interests are permitted with requirements for two-metre physical distancing, where possible.

CHILDREN’S SPORT/PERFORMANCE/RECREATION (extracurricular sports, performance, recreation and special interest):

• Indoor activities are permitted, with requirements for two-metre physical distancing and masking where possible, and symptom screening for participants.
• Youth aged 18 and under are not required to mask or maintain physical distancing during a physical activity, such as a team sport.
• 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 no restrictions on outdoor activities.

CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES:

• Children’s day camps must have two-metre physical distancing between participants and masking indoors.
• Children’s overnight camps must follow cohort models.

The following measures take effect on September 20:

RESTAURANTS:

• Outdoor dining only with a maximum of six individuals per table (one household or two close contacts for those living alone).
• Liquor sales and consumption restrictions (10 p.m. sales and 11 p.m. consumption) apply.
• Restaurants are eligible to implement the Restrictions Exemption Program.

WEDDINGS AND FUNERALS:

• All indoor ceremonies and services are limited to 50 attendees or 50 per cent fire code capacity, whichever is less.
• No indoor receptions are permitted.
  • The hosting facility would be eligible to implement the Restrictions Exemption Program.
• All outdoor ceremonies and services for weddings and funerals must be limited to 200 attendees. Outdoor receptions are required to follow liquor sales and consumption restrictions (i.e., sales end at 10 p.m. and consumption ends by 11 p.m.).
  • The hosting facility would be eligible to implement the Restrictions Exemption Program.

RETAIL, ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION FACILITIES (includes any indoor venues, libraries, conferences, rental spaces, concerts, nightclubs, casinos, and similar facilities):

• Attendance is limited to one-third fire code capacity and attendees are only permitted to attend with their household or two close contacts for those living alone. Attendees must be masked and have two-metre physical distancing between households.
  • These facilities are eligible to implement the Restrictions Exemption Program.

ADULT (over 18 years old) SPORT, FITNESS, PERFORMANCE AND RECREATION:

• Indoor activities:
  • No indoor group classes or activities are permitted.
  • One-on-one training or individual workouts are permitted but three-metre physical distancing is required.
  • No contact between players; indoor competitions are paused except where vaccine exemptions have been granted.
  • These facilities and programs are eligible to implement the Restrictions Exemption Program. Specific exemptions may also be granted on a case-by-case basis.
• There are no restrictions on outdoor activities.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said that “these steps are not easy for anyone, but with COVID-19 hospitalizations continuing to rise, particularly amongst the unvaccinated, we have no choice but to implement the proof of vaccination measures and temporary restrictions.”

“I strongly urge anyone who has not yet been vaccinated to do so immediately. Please protect yourself, your loved ones and your community.”

Health Minister Tyler Shandro stated that the new proof of vaccination requirements “will make us all safer. This will help increase vaccination rates across the province and protect Albertans in settings that pose a higher risk of transmission.”

“We’ve seen from other jurisdictions that proof of vaccinations do help encourage people to get vaccinated, and I am calling on every eligible Albertan to get fully immunized as soon as possible.”

Earlier this week, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw said the province’s ‘Open for Summer’ plan to ease COVID-19 restrictions in July set the course for the fourth wave Alberta is currently battling.

READ MORE: Alberta ‘Open For Summer’ plan was premature; chief medical officer of health

More details on the province’s vaccination program are available here.