By Chris Brown

Stepped, measured path presented

Kenney announces restrictions on dine-in, fitness facilities to be eased on Feb. 8

Jan 29, 2021 | 4:04 PM

Premier Jason Kenney has revealed Alberta’s “path forward” to reopening businesses and services in the province.

Kenney said that if collectively Albertans are able to bend the COVID curve and further reduce pressure on the health-care system public health restrictions can gradually be relaxed.

“But this must be done carefully, slowly and in a way that is driven not by opinions, but by data,” said Kenney. “Alberta’s path forward will be a stepped approach to easing restrictions based on hospitalization benchmarks.”

Step one, which will happen at 600 hospitalizations will include easing of restrictions on outdoor and indoor children’s sports and performance in schools and easing of indoor fitness for adults. Some dine-in options for restaurants, cafes and pubs will also be allowed.

The easing of restrictions will begin on Feb. 8.

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Strict guidelines such as physical distancing restrictions, group size limitations and mask requirements will still be in place.

He said total hospitalizations is the key metric that will guide how and when public health measures will be eased.

Kenney said daily case numbers and growth will guide the potential to pause further relaxations or increase restrictions if the threat of the virus grows again.

If cases surge once again or one of the new viral variants takes hold at spreads at rates seen elsewhere in the world “we will have to impose stronger restrictions again.”

Kenney said step two will proceed after the weekly average for hospitalizations are below 450. Restrictions for retail, community halls, banquet halls, hotels and conference centres and some further easing of restrictions on children’s sports and performance activities.

Kenney said at least three weeks must elapse between steps so the impacts of each step can be assessed.

Step 3, at a weekly average for hospitalizations of 300, will see restrictions eased on places of worship, adult team sports and indoor social gatherings.

Step 4, at a weekly average for hospitalizations of 150, could put Alberta in a similar position as the summer of 2020. A wide range of indoor and outdoor activities such as wedding and funeral receptions, trade shows, indoor concerts are possible in this stage.

All the steps are based on “continued adherence to existing public health measures.”

Kenney said moves from one step to another won’t be automatic when benchmarks are reached, but that discussions will take place and at each step, Albertans will be provided as much information as possible.

“The more we see our numbers go down, the clearer our path forward becomes,” said Kenney.

There are 21 active cases of COVID-19 in Medicine Hat on Friday.

The city now has had 527 total cases – the 21 active, 493 recovered and there have been 13 deaths.

There are two new cases in the city in Friday’s update and two new recoveries.

Across the province, there are 7,805 active cases, down 236 from Thursday, and 113,939 recovered cases, up 765.

Alberta’s total number of COVID-19 cases from the start of the pandemic is 123,364.

There are 543 new cases in the province today.

There are now 594 Albertans in hospital with COVID-19, 110 of which are in ICU, and 1,620 deaths.

The province completed 11,591 tests in the past 24 hours.

The provincial positivity rate is 4.5 per cent.

As of Jan. 28, 104,327 doses of vaccine have been administered in Alberta.

Alberta.ca

Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said 12 more cases of variant COVID-19 have been found in Alberta. A total of 31 cases of the strain first identified in the U.K and six of the strain first identified in South Africa have been found.

Hinshaw said all but three are linked to travel and those three are linked to the same household.

“We still have no evidence of further spread in the community at this time,” said Hinshaw.

She added the cases are evidence of why the right balance must be found when easing restrictions and why the province must be cautious moving forward.

“Our declining numbers through January prove how effective the measures can be when Albertans work together to protect each other and our health-care system,” said Hinshaw.

Medicine Hat and the entire province remains in enhanced status, in which risk levels require enhanced public health measures to control the spread and are informed by local context.

Medicine Hat should however be off the provincial “Watch” list.

Regions are placed on the province’s “Watch” list when they have a rate of more than 50 active cases per 100,000 population. Medicine Hat’s 21 active cases among 68,057 people puts it at a rate of 30.8.

Brooks, the MD of Taber, Cypress County and the County of Forty Mile are no longer on the “Watch” list.

The County of Newell (112.5), Lethbridge (132.1) and Lethbridge County (112.9) are on the list.

There are 5,822 cases in the South Zone. There are 340 active cases and 5,411 recovered. The death total in the zone is at 71.

An AHS spokesperson told CHAT News on Thursday that AHS South Zone currently has 32 COVID-19 positive individuals in hospital. There are six at Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, with two of those in the ICU. Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge has 22 inpatients, with seven of those in the ICU. The Cardston Health Centre has three inpatients, and the Pincher Creek Health Centre has one.

Seven Persons School is on “Alert” status, with two positive cases. One was confirmed on Jan. 17 and one on Jan. 15. Students and staff have been identified as close contacts and placed into quarantine.

The website Support Our Students is tracking instances of cases in schools across the province.

Cypress County has totaled 145 cases – two active cases and the rest recovered.

The County of Forty Mile has 117 total cases. There is one active case, 114 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The MD of Taber has 328 total cases — four active cases, 318 recovered and there have been six deaths.

Special Areas No. 2 has 41 total cases – three active, 37 recovered and there has been one death.

Brooks has 1,361 total cases — three active and 1,344 are recovered. Brooks has recorded 14 deaths.

The County of Newell has a total of 157 cases — nine active cases, 146 recovered and there have been two deaths.

The County of Warner has 158 total cases. There are six active cases, 150 are recovered cases and there have been two deaths in the county.

The City of Lethbridge has a total of 1,704 cases. There are 133 active cases, 1,559 recovered and there have been 12 deaths. Lethbridge County has 512 cases, 29 active cases, 476 recovered and there have been seven deaths.

The figures on alberta.ca are “up-to-date as of end of day Jan. 28, 2021.”

Read the full Jan. 29 update from the province here.

Saskatchewan confirmed 328 new cases of COVID-19 in the Friday update.

Saskatchewan has a total of 23,366 cases, 2,499 considered active. There are 20,575 recovered cases and there have been 295 COVID-19 deaths in the province.

Saskatchewan has delivered 35,091 doses of vaccine.