Baby steps for Alberta as the Provincial government announces relaunch strategy

On Thursday, April 30, Albertans received news that many had been waiting for concerning the province’s relaunch strategy. Though any reopening of the region is contingent on rising or falling COVID-19 cases, Premier Kenney and his government provided a twelve-page document which outlined how the province would reopen, and which services would be allowed to do so first. The relaunch features three stages. The first two are more detailed than the third as implementing each stage is dependant on the success of the one before it.

“Albertans have responded to the worst global pandemic in over a century with the cooperation and resilience that runs deep in our provincial character. Your efforts and tremendous sacrifices have so far succeeded in containing the spread of the virus far below the devastating scale of the outbreak in many other places, and well below the capacity of our healthcare system,” spoke Premier Kenney in an opening message provided in the document.

He said that Alberta’s success is due to a “sound pandemic response plan” implemented by Dr. Hinshaw and the Alberta Health team who “saw CODID-19 coming before many others did.” The strategy, which allowed certain regulated healthcare workers to begin on May 4, including dentists and chiropractors, was developed with the advice of public health officials.

In Dr. Deena Hinshaw’s message within the report, she commended Albertans for their collective efforts and sacrifices, which have “built a barrier between our communities and what could have been an overwhelming surge of cases.” She stressed that everyone must continue to work together to manage risk, and that remaining vigilant is important to contain the virus. One of the first actions implemented was the resuming of certain, scheduled, non-urgent surgeries.

Beyond the early actions that have already been implemented or will be soon, Stage 1 requires several conditions to begin. Conditions include enhancing COVID-19 testing capacity, comprehensive contact tracing, support for those who test positive, more robust international border controls and screening, usage of masks in crowded spaces, and rapid response teams to deal with any outbreaks. Each stage of the relaunch will depend upon the number of cases and hospitalizations. Proactive responses will be localized, and confirmed cases will be monitored in real-time. Should there be an influx of new cases, the relaunch states that a step back might be needed.

Stage 1 is set to begin by as early as May 14 and will allow certain businesses to reopen. Businesses under this stage include retail, hairstyling and barber shops, daycares with limits on occupancy and restaurants with no bar service, but with limited public seating. Even with these potential changes, the public is still advised to work remotely where possible and non-essential travel is not recommended. Those that do travel will need to follow quarantine guidelines on their return. All procedures for social distancing are still in place, including two-metre spacing. 

The Alberta Parks’ online campground reservation system is set to open May 14 for bookings at certain campgrounds starting June 1, and the list of which campgrounds will be available is expected on May 13. Once Stage 1 is launched, officials will monitor COVID-19 spread and make any decisions necessary. Stage 2 will launch only when the success of Stage 1 can be appropriately determined. Businesses and services listed under the second stage of relaunch include libraries, schools (with restrictions in place), more scheduled surgeries, personal services such as cosmetic skin and body treatments, restaurants and bars (reduced capacity), and movie theatres (with restrictions).

With both Stage 1 and Stage 2, visiting patients at healthcare facilities will remain limited. As of now, places such as the AJMC cannot open as neither stage allow gyms or pools. Also not allowed are concerts, festivals and major sporting events. Gatherings of more than 15 people remain prohibited, and so far will only change in Stage 2. Wearing masks in places where it is harder to socially distance continues to be encouraged.

The final stage, once implemented, will allow everything to open with limited restrictions. Stage 3 will be largely dependant on the success of the stages before it, and any restrictions will be based on how things are at that time. Though the plan still means that many Albertans must wait, the one thing the plan does provide is hope, and a vision going forward. To see the plan in its entirety, visit www.alberta.ca.