Alberta will continue to ease COVID-19 restrictions, which will immediately allow for changes including retail capacity to increase from 15 per cent to 25 per cent of the fire code and allow for children’s team sports and performance to resume at a capacity of 10.
On Monday Alberta Minister of Health Tyler Shandro and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw announced the province would be completing its move into Step 2 of the reopening plan.
"The time is right to keep moving safely forward, and at the same time there are reasons for us to remain cautious. We're not seeing the same sharp incline in cases that we saw in December. Cases have plateaued and we still have to consider carefully how to get the balance right. But I believe that this step, the remainder of Step 2, today, is safe," Shandro said.
The health minister said case counts and positivity rates are continuing to decline, which is why the province decided to move forward with the rest of the Step 2 reopening plan.
The new rules, effective immediately, will allow for more capacity in retail and mall settings, which would bump their capacity limit up from 15 per cent to 25 per cent, including common areas like food courts.
College and university sports can start lessons, practice and training again but will be capped at 10 participants, including coaches and trainers. Attendees will have to wear masks, except during training, and follow physical distancing at all times.
Practicing performance activities for both youth and adults can resume, including theatre, singing and playing wind instruments. Virtual performances can resume. Physical distancing and masking rules will have to be followed.
Banquet halls, community halls, conference centres and hotels will now be allowed to open for events like virtual meetings and conferences and performance activities. Wedding ceremonies can be preformed with a cap at 10 people while funeral services can take place with a maximum of 20 attendees. Wedding receptions, funeral receptions or trade shows are not permitted.
Shandro said the province is carefully moving into the next phase of the reopening plan.
"I want to reassure all Albertans that this is a careful step, it's a cautious step. And we must, we will always, be responsible. Though we are easing the restrictions in these sectors, strong measures remain in place to keep the risk of transmission in our community low," Shandro said.
Hinshaw said that while Alberta's numbers are coming down, the province is not yet in the clear.
"Each time we ease restrictions we increase opportunities for COVID-19 to spread if we do not continue to follow the important preventive measures required for each activity," Hinshaw said.
"So I would like to remind Albertans that easing restrictions does not mean that we can be less vigilant. When we continue to follow all measures in place, we protect one another, we protect our health-care system, and we protect the progress that we have made thus far."
On Monday the province reported another 278 cases of COVID-19 with 5,500 tests run, bringing the provincial positivity rate to 5.4 per cent.
There are 254 patients in the hospital with COVID-19 and 36 in intensive care. Another six more deaths were reported to Alberta Health on Monday.
Another six new cases of a variant of concern were detected, bringing the total to 659.
As of March 7, the province had given out 297,600 doses of the vaccine with more than 91,00 people fully immunized.
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