COVID-19: Alberta to close bars, restaurants, casinos, ban outdoor gatherings in bid to curb spread of virus
Anna Junker , Dustin Cook , Ashley Joannou POSTMEDIA
© Provided by Edmonton Journal
Premier Jason Kenney outlined a list of new restrictions because of COVID-19 on Tuesday.
Casinos, gyms and dine-in service at restaurants will be shut down, all outdoor social gatherings will be banned and masks will be mandatory across Alberta in an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19, Premier Jason Kenney announced Tuesday.
Retail services, shopping malls and places of worship must also reduce capacity to 15 per cent of fire code occupancy.
The ban on social gatherings and masking mandate are effective immediately while all other measures will come into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday. They will be in effect for at least four weeks and apply to the entire province.
Indoor gatherings remain prohibited as well, and will continue to be over the holidays.
Calling the decision a “last resort” in an effort to save lives and protect the health-care system, Kenney said hospitals would run out of capacity if the virus is allowed to spread at current growth rates without stronger measures.
“We know that hundreds or potentially thousands more Albertans could die” he said.
“We are now at a place where viral transmission is so widespread in the community, that it does not any longer matter how careful business operators are.”
The suite of new restrictions came as Alberta reported 1,727 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, bringing the total number of active cases in the province to 20,388 — the highest in Canada.
There are 654 people in hospital, including 112 in the intensive care unit. The provincial death toll is now at 640 after nine more deaths were reported.
Until now, the province has taken a regional approach with COVID-19 restrictions, but Kenney said that is not a viable option anymore.
“Ninety-seven per cent of Albertans live today in a local geographic area with more than 50 active COVID cases per 100,000 population and that was our key threshold,” Kenney said. “The virus is spreading at an alarming rate in every region of the province.”
NDP Leader Rachel Notley called the restrictions “late,” saying the government could have acted four weeks ago before the numbers increased even further.
“The premier acted like he didn’t have a choice but let’s be clear, he’s had many choices, many opportunities to act decisively. But at every turn, he failed to make the tough choice, that public health expertise and public health evidence clearly pointed to, at least until today,” she said following the announcement.
Casinos, gyms and dine-in service at restaurants will be shut down, all outdoor social gatherings will be banned and masks will be mandatory across Alberta in an attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19, Premier Jason Kenney announced Tuesday.
Retail services, shopping malls and places of worship must also reduce capacity to 15 per cent of fire code occupancy.
The ban on social gatherings and masking mandate are effective immediately while all other measures will come into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday. They will be in effect for at least four weeks and apply to the entire province.
Indoor gatherings remain prohibited as well, and will continue to be over the holidays.
Calling the decision a “last resort” in an effort to save lives and protect the health-care system, Kenney said hospitals would run out of capacity if the virus is allowed to spread at current growth rates without stronger measures.
“We know that hundreds or potentially thousands more Albertans could die” he said.
“We are now at a place where viral transmission is so widespread in the community, that it does not any longer matter how careful business operators are.”
The suite of new restrictions came as Alberta reported 1,727 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, bringing the total number of active cases in the province to 20,388 — the highest in Canada.
There are 654 people in hospital, including 112 in the intensive care unit. The provincial death toll is now at 640 after nine more deaths were reported.
Until now, the province has taken a regional approach with COVID-19 restrictions, but Kenney said that is not a viable option anymore.
“Ninety-seven per cent of Albertans live today in a local geographic area with more than 50 active COVID cases per 100,000 population and that was our key threshold,” Kenney said. “The virus is spreading at an alarming rate in every region of the province.”
NDP Leader Rachel Notley called the restrictions “late,” saying the government could have acted four weeks ago before the numbers increased even further.
“The premier acted like he didn’t have a choice but let’s be clear, he’s had many choices, many opportunities to act decisively. But at every turn, he failed to make the tough choice, that public health expertise and public health evidence clearly pointed to, at least until today,” she said following the announcement.
Business restrictions
As of Sunday, restaurants, pubs, bars, lounges and cafes will be closed to dine-in service while other businesses including casinos, bingo halls, bowling alleys, legions and private clubs will be shut down.
Recreational facilities such as fitness centres, pools, spas, gyms, studios and indoor rinks and arenas will also be closed — including the City of Edmonton’s five fitness centres and four pools.
Outdoor recreation, including skating rinks and ski hills, remain permitted as long as public health measures are followed. Facilities with indoor spaces will be closed, except for washrooms.
Entertainment spaces such as libraries, science centres, museums and galleries will also be closed.
Hotels can remain open, but must follow public health restrictions, including the closure of spas, pools or in-person dining — only room service will be available.
Personal and wellness services such as hair salons, nail salons, massage, tattoo and piercing parlours must also close.
Social or protective services, shelters, emergency services, childcare and not-for-profit community kitchens or charitable kitchens may remain open for in-person attendance.
Kenney also announced a mandatory province-wide work-from-home mandate, unless the employer determines “a physical presence for operational effectiveness.”
Meanwhile, to help the estimated 30,000 businesses that will be impacted by the restrictions, the government is expanding its grant program to $20,000 from $5,000.
Jobs, Economy and Innovation Minister Doug Schweitzer said an additional 15,000 businesses will qualify for the grant that is now open to businesses who have experienced a 30 per cent reduction in revenue — a drop from the previous 50 per cent requirement.
Businesses will be eligible for up to 15 per cent of their pre-COVID monthly revenues up to $20,000. Applications will open later this month.
Edmonton Independent Hospitality Community co-founder Kristoffer Harvey said the organization welcomes the new restrictions and the changes to the grant program. Although the expansion falls short of the $25,000 the NDP had been calling for, Harvey said the lower threshold will make more hospitality businesses eligible even if they continue to offer takeout and delivery.
“This is much-needed provincial help that we’ve been asking for since April,” he said. “It is bittersweet because unfortunately we’ve lost far too many businesses along the way due to the province not expanding their ability to help sooner.”
Edmonton Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Janet Riopel said the restrictions will hurt businesses but are essential to curbing the spread of the virus before focusing on economic recovery.
“These restrictions will impact every business — whether they contributed to the spread of COVID or not — and will not be easy to manage. Having some cash flow through government supports will help our job creators to hang on a bit longer,” she said in a statement. “We continue to urge Edmontonians to shop local, shop safely, support our charitable sector, and wear a mask this holiday season — it’s simply the right thing to do.”
Alberta is the last province to implement a provincial mask mandate, which the NDP had been calling for.
Notley urged the government Tuesday to fix the contact tracing system, pursue a workforce strategy in continuing care and bring in rapid testing at least twice a week to slow the spread.
Gathering bans
Public and private outdoor social gatherings will be banned, while indoor gatherings remain restricted. Any close contacts are limited to household members only, while t hose who live alone continue to be allowed to visit with two people.
Kenney said the restrictions will apply over the holidays because the single biggest source of transmission of COVID-19 is at-home gatherings.
“If we relax the public health measures to permit large family gatherings in just three weeks time, we will without a shadow of a doubt see a large increase in hospitalizations and fatalities,” he said. “We simply cannot let this Christmas turn into a tragedy for many families.”
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province’s chief medical officer of health, added that a university student who is studying out of province, but still calls Alberta home, would be allowed to go back to their family for Christmas.
“If it’s somebody who’s coming to visit, whose place of residence, permanent residence is not Alberta, that at this time — and I recognize that this is very difficult, people have had travel plans for a while — but at the current time, our restrictions for in-home social gatherings would apply to anyone who would be coming just for that visit,” she said.
Following the province’s announcement, Mayor Don Iveson urged Edmontonians to observe the new rules and find creative ways to stay connected over the holidays.
“Not too long from now, we’ll look back with pride at how we hibernated for health and, by our diligent actions saved many lives and prevented an overload of the health system for those who still needed it,” Iveson said in a statement
Edmonton area to see more surgery reductions
In the Edmonton Zone, which includes the city and surrounding municipalities, there are 9,383 active causes of COVID-19, the most of the province’s health zones.
On Tuesday, Hinshaw announced as much as 60 per cent of non-urgent scheduled surgeries that require a hospital stay will now be postponed, up from 30 per cent in October. Surgeries for major and minor trauma, urgent cancer, cardiac and vascular cases will continue.
Diagnostic imaging or other clinical support services could be reduced as much as 40 per cent while ambulatory visits and procedures will be reduced as needed.
“These steps are yet another reminder of why today’s restrictions are needed, and how COVID-19 impact reaches far beyond those who test positive,” Hinshaw said.
City council will meet Thursday to discuss how the city can support communication and enforcement of the measures.
A full list of the restrictions can be found here .
'Stronger action:' Many businesses to close as Alberta tightens COVID restrictions
EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, his province relentlessly pounded by thousands of new COVID-19 cases, has reintroduced strict economic lockdown rules and banned all outdoor social gatherings
.
© Provided by The Canadian Press
"If stronger action is not taken now, we know that hundreds, potentially thousands, of Albertans will die," Kenney told a news conference Tuesday.
"We cannot let that happen. We will not let that happen."
Alberta, once a national leader in COVID-19 prevention, has been in free fall for over a month, its health system bending dangerously under well over 1,000 new cases a day with more than 100 people in intensive care.
For days, it has the highest rate of new infections of any province.
To combat the crisis, Kenney announced he is restricting restaurants and bars to delivery or takeout and closing casinos and gyms, recreation centres, libraries, theatres and personal service providers such as hair salons.
Retail stores and churches can remain open, but at 15 per cent capacity. Outdoor skating rinks and ski hills may remain active.
The order comes into effect Sunday.
Outdoor social gatherings had been limited to 10 people but are now banned altogether. Fitness activities, such as skating, skiing, or walking, are fine as long as social distance is maintained.
Kenney also imposed a provincewide mask mandate in indoor public spaces, including workplaces, except for farms.
Alberta had been the only province without a sweeping mask rule, although many communities were already mandating face coverings. Kenney had called it unworkable and unnecessary in remote areas and particularly punitive to farmers who already work in socially distanced settings.
Existing school rules stay in place: all students in grades 7 through 12 must learn at home while in-class learning continues for those in lower grades.
The measures are to remain in effect for at least four weeks, putting them in force through the Christmas season.
Jobs Minister Doug Schweitzer announced $500 million in supports to help small and medium-sized businesses survive the shutdown.
The new rules are similar to orders imposed by Kenney’s government in the spring, except for allowing most retailers to stay open.
In recent weeks, as cases rose precipitously, the Opposition NDP and hundreds of physicians and infectious disease specialists argued for a short, severe lockdown of the economy and public events to avoid swamping the health-care system.
Kenney had argued for a balance of “lives and livelihoods'' and said throwing thousands of people out of work would make things worse for the economy, community wellness and mental health.
NDP Leader Rachel Notley told the house Tuesday that Kenney’s decision cost lives.
She later told reporters, after the new measures were announced, that "the premier acted like he didn’t have a choice. But let’s be clear, he has had many choices, many opportunities to act decisively.
“But at every turn he failed to make the tough choice that public health expertise and public health evidence clearly pointed to.”
Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson said he backs the changes.
“These restrictions will be tough to bear — more so for vulnerable people in our community and for struggling businesses — but there is provincial, municipal and substantial federal aid available that should allow us all to do the right thing and follow these new public health measures to stop this virus," said Iveson.
The City of Calgary, in a news release, said it also supports the new rules.
It’s the second time in two weeks that Kenney has introduced new restrictions to try to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
On Nov. 24, the premier introduced rules to keep businesses open but with tighter health restrictions and limits on gatherings.
But Dr. Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer of health, announced Monday those measures weren't flattening the curve and tougher rules were needed.
Alberta reported more than 21,000 active cases on Tuesday with 654 people in hospital — 112 of them receiving intensive care. Daily death counts have been in the double digits for much of the last week.
Daily infection numbers have also been over 1,000 since Nov. 24 and more than 1,600 a day for almost a week.
Alberta’s health system has been reassigning patients, staff, wards and spaces to free up more intensive care beds. The province has also consulted with the federal government and the Red Cross on setting up field hospitals to handle patient overflow.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2020.
Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press
"If stronger action is not taken now, we know that hundreds, potentially thousands, of Albertans will die," Kenney told a news conference Tuesday.
"We cannot let that happen. We will not let that happen."
Alberta, once a national leader in COVID-19 prevention, has been in free fall for over a month, its health system bending dangerously under well over 1,000 new cases a day with more than 100 people in intensive care.
For days, it has the highest rate of new infections of any province.
To combat the crisis, Kenney announced he is restricting restaurants and bars to delivery or takeout and closing casinos and gyms, recreation centres, libraries, theatres and personal service providers such as hair salons.
Retail stores and churches can remain open, but at 15 per cent capacity. Outdoor skating rinks and ski hills may remain active.
The order comes into effect Sunday.
Outdoor social gatherings had been limited to 10 people but are now banned altogether. Fitness activities, such as skating, skiing, or walking, are fine as long as social distance is maintained.
Kenney also imposed a provincewide mask mandate in indoor public spaces, including workplaces, except for farms.
Alberta had been the only province without a sweeping mask rule, although many communities were already mandating face coverings. Kenney had called it unworkable and unnecessary in remote areas and particularly punitive to farmers who already work in socially distanced settings.
Existing school rules stay in place: all students in grades 7 through 12 must learn at home while in-class learning continues for those in lower grades.
The measures are to remain in effect for at least four weeks, putting them in force through the Christmas season.
Jobs Minister Doug Schweitzer announced $500 million in supports to help small and medium-sized businesses survive the shutdown.
The new rules are similar to orders imposed by Kenney’s government in the spring, except for allowing most retailers to stay open.
In recent weeks, as cases rose precipitously, the Opposition NDP and hundreds of physicians and infectious disease specialists argued for a short, severe lockdown of the economy and public events to avoid swamping the health-care system.
Kenney had argued for a balance of “lives and livelihoods'' and said throwing thousands of people out of work would make things worse for the economy, community wellness and mental health.
NDP Leader Rachel Notley told the house Tuesday that Kenney’s decision cost lives.
She later told reporters, after the new measures were announced, that "the premier acted like he didn’t have a choice. But let’s be clear, he has had many choices, many opportunities to act decisively.
“But at every turn he failed to make the tough choice that public health expertise and public health evidence clearly pointed to.”
Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson said he backs the changes.
“These restrictions will be tough to bear — more so for vulnerable people in our community and for struggling businesses — but there is provincial, municipal and substantial federal aid available that should allow us all to do the right thing and follow these new public health measures to stop this virus," said Iveson.
The City of Calgary, in a news release, said it also supports the new rules.
It’s the second time in two weeks that Kenney has introduced new restrictions to try to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
On Nov. 24, the premier introduced rules to keep businesses open but with tighter health restrictions and limits on gatherings.
But Dr. Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer of health, announced Monday those measures weren't flattening the curve and tougher rules were needed.
Alberta reported more than 21,000 active cases on Tuesday with 654 people in hospital — 112 of them receiving intensive care. Daily death counts have been in the double digits for much of the last week.
Daily infection numbers have also been over 1,000 since Nov. 24 and more than 1,600 a day for almost a week.
Alberta’s health system has been reassigning patients, staff, wards and spaces to free up more intensive care beds. The province has also consulted with the federal government and the Red Cross on setting up field hospitals to handle patient overflow.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2020.
Dean Bennett, The Canadian Press
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