The province is pushing back the August 16, 2021 lifting of remaining restrictions by 6 weeks to better implement its plan to bring the province’s COVID-19 response in line with other respiratory viruses.
After closely monitoring COVID-19 in Alberta for the previous two weeks and reviewing emerging evidence from other jurisdictions, the following will continue until Sept.27:
- Mandatory masking orders in publicly accessible transit, taxis and ride-shares.
- Mandatory isolation for 10 days for those with COVID-19 symptoms or a positive test result.
- Testing at assessment centres for any symptomatic individual.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Chief Medical Officer of Health, says “Through the pandemic, we have monitored the situation closely and adapted our response as necessary. Reviewing data from Alberta and across the globe in the past few weeks has led me to a point where I feel that a pause on the next changes is the best way forward. I deeply care about, and am committed to, the overall health of all in Alberta. This is why I base my decisions on science and my professional assessment of an ever-changing situation.”
Changes that took affect on July 29 will continue to be in place. They are:
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- Quarantine for close contacts is recommended (previously mandatory).
- Contact tracers are no longer notifying close contacts about exposure to COVID-19. Individuals are asked to tell their close contacts when informed of their positive result. All positive cases will continue to be notified. Contact tracers will continue to investigate cases that are in high-risk settings such as acute and continuing care facilities.
- Outbreak management and identification will focus on high-risk locations, including continuing care and acute care facilities. Community outbreaks with a surge in cases leading to severe outcomes will also be addressed as needed.
- Asymptomatic testing is no longer recommended.
-Calvin Hector, Trending 55 Newsroom
