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
Robert Pickton to remain in medically induced coma until later this week: police
Serial killer Robert Pickton will remain in a medically induced coma for at least the next few days following an attack in a Quebec prison Sunday, according to police spokesperson Hugues Beaulieu.
Poverty report cards: Which provinces got the worst grades?
Poverty and food insecurity have worsened in most of Canada in the past year and most provincial governments aren't doing enough to address the problem, according to a just-released series of report cards.
'I feel betrayed': Ottawa-area customers out thousands of dollars warn of bad faith contractor
A group of people from eastern Ontario and western Quebec is issuing a warning about Dennis Walker and his company Vue Windows.
'We'll need all hands on deck': Details emerge after deadly boat crash near Kingston
Police say they have wrapped up their on-scene investigation into a deadly boat crash in eastern Ontario as details of the incident begin to emerge.
Sheldon Keefe hired as head coach of New Jersey Devils
Sheldon Keefe has been hired as the head coach of the New Jersey Devils.
Disgruntled worker fatally shoots 2, wounds 3 at linen company near Philadelphia
A disgruntled employee opened fire at a linen company near Philadelphia on Wednesday, killing two coworkers and injuring three others, authorities said.
Woman found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017 matches identity of missing person in Switzerland
Genetic genealogy has helped Toronto police identify a woman who was found dead in Lake Ontario in 2017.
'Five feet nothing': Pickton's safety likely behind Quebec transfer, says ex-prison judge
When serial killer Robert Pickton was transferred from British Columbia's Kent Institution to a maximum security prison in Quebec about six years ago, correctional authorities gave no public explanation or confirmation at the time, citing privacy.
'Holy moly, that's me!': Canadian soccer star Christine Sinclair gets her own Barbie
Legendary Canadian soccer player Christine Sinclair is now immortalized with a one-of-a-kind Barbie doll that looks just like her.