Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced Tuesday a phased approach end to most COVID-19 measures in the province.
Kenney stated the lifting of measures begins immediately at midnight on Tuesday, starting with the province’s Restrictions Exemption Program.
Proof of COVID-19 jab to enter bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues ends Tuesday night.
Mask mandates for children and schools end February 14th, the premier announced.
As of 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, #Alberta's COVID-19 vaccine passport program will be no more. Restrictions on food and drink at entertainment venues will also be removed. Capacity limits will be lifted for all venues except those with a large capacity. https://t.co/DzcC0szNVR pic.twitter.com/kzFFQnyC7U
— CityNews Vancouver (@CityNewsVAN) February 9, 2022
Breaking: Alberta’s proof-of-vaccination program is ending tonight, Premier Jason Kenney announces.#ableg #COVID19Ab pic.twitter.com/bGdLrMSVsU
— Sammy Hudes (@SammyHudes) February 9, 2022
Kenney said it was a prudent and considered plan.
“In other words, with what we know now about the virus and the tools we have to fight it, the threat of COVID-19 to public health is no longer outweighs the hugely damaging impact of health restrictions on our society,” he said.
“Now is the time to begin learning to live with Covid.”
He noted the lifting of restrictions will happen in three steps.
Livewire Calgary reported:
Step 1 of the plan will remove the mask mandate for K-12 students this weekend. Children under 12 will also be exempt from the general mask mandate for indoor settings.
Step 2 is targeted for March 1, where indoor masking mandates will be removed, along with most other restrictions.
“Following this stage, we will take more time to monitor trends—again with a focus on whether pressure on our hospital system is manageable. When it is safe to do so, we would then proceed to Stage 3, which would be to eliminate all remaining public health measures at that point,” said Premier Kenney.
The Premier did say there’s room to pause the rollback of restrictions.
“Let me add an important caveat. If the current trends reverse themselves and if we see a significant and sustained increase in pressure on our hospitals, we may have to pause some of these measures,” the Premier said.
“But we are determined to get our life back to normal.”
As I highlighted, Premier Kenney gave himself the authority to pause the rollback of restrictions at any time. So, Albertans must remain vigilant that the premier keeps his word.
And the Trucker vaccination mandate remains.https://t.co/urhfR39FVR https://t.co/HSf62jUbNx
— TheLastRefuge (@TheLastRefuge2) February 9, 2022
Another thing Albertans should keep in the back of their minds is the future fight against Digital ID, as reported by Truth Lion.
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