Alberta to end pandemic rules including mandatory isolation
All remaining COVID-19 public health restrictions in Alberta will be lifted Tuesday at 11:59 p.m., including mandatory isolation requirements.
According to the province, Alberta will enter Step 3, the last stage of the reopening plan, that will end mandatory isolation and masking on public transit. The change was announced Monday evening by a government news release.
Isolation for anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or who has tested positive will only be recommended by the province.
Mandatory masking rules at Alberta Health Services and other health-care facilities will now be determined by individual sites.
"We need to live with COVID-19 while accepting that it will continue to be present," said Jason Copping, minister of health.
"We’ll continue to work to keep Albertans safe by ensuring access to vaccines, antivirals and rapid tests, through ongoing COVID-19 surveillance, and by enhancing health-care system capacity."
According to the province, PCR test positivity and wastewater surveillance data indicate a trend of "declining COVID-19 transmission."
Hospitalization rates have declined since their peak on April 26, the province says, when admissions to hospitals in Alberta for COVID-19 were at 20.7 per day per million population. As of last week, that figure was at 6.6 per day per million population.
The province says it is preparing for the fall and winter respiratory virus season, including maintaining testing and surveillance programs while preparing to expand hospital surge capacity.
In a statement, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, said learning to live with COVID-19 does not mean forgetting about it.
"As we bring COVID-19 management in line with other respiratory diseases, it will continue to be vital that we receive our primary vaccine series and any additional booster doses we are eligible for, and continue good habits like washing our hands regularly and avoiding being around others if we feel sick," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump election victory 'very unlikely,' but 'possible': former FBI director Comey
Former FBI director James Comey says while he believes former U.S. president Donald Trump "will be defeated" in the upcoming presidential election, he doesn’t think it’s a given.
Robert Pickton stabbed with toothbrush and broken broom handle: victim's family
The family of one of Robert Pickton's victims says the convicted serial killer suffered an incredibly violent death at the hands of another inmate.
Father who killed one-year-old son with axe may be allowed to travel in southwestern Ontario
A Mennonite father who killed his one-year-old son with an axe may be allowed to travel to parts of southern Ontario in the coming months
Panama prepares to evacuate first island in face of rising sea level
On a tiny island off Panama's Caribbean coast, about 300 families are packing their belongings in preparation for a dramatic change. Generations of Gunas who have grown up on Gardi Sugdub in a life dedicated to the sea and tourism will trade that next week for the mainland’s solid ground.
'It feels like freedom': Why some Albertans like going nude in nature
Few people can say they accidentally purchased a nude beach — but Shelley can. When she saw a piece of land she could fondly remember camping on was up for sale, she inquired about it and ended up purchasing it. She soon found that there were already inhabitants on it.
This Calgary home has a giant tree in the middle, and it's for sale
There's a luxury 'tree home' for sale in Calgary.
Beef on and off the ice: Who has the best steak between Alberta and Texas?
As the Edmonton Oilers battle the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Playoffs' Western Conference Finals, there's some beef brewing off the ice as well.
107-year-old luxury rail car ready for visitors after major restoration
Car 14 is a luxury passenger car that once made regular runs from London to Port Stanley starting in 1917.
WestJet ordered to pay B.C. traveller $1,300 for a missed flight connection
A B.C. traveller will receive more than $1,300 in compensation from WestJet for a missed flight connection following a decision from the province's small claims tribunal.