Schools resuming in-person learning this week as Albertans await decisions on other COVID-19 restrictions

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As students across most of the province return to school for in-person learning this week, Albertans will be looking for decisions from the government on current restrictions and a fresh reopening strategy.

When Premier Jason Kenney announced sweeping measures on May 4 that closed schools, patio dining, places of worship and personal services, a timeline of at least three weeks was given for these restrictions. However, no clear plan for when the province will ease public health measures has been outlined.

“I find it frustrating that we don’t have explicit criteria for loosening or tightening restrictions. When you just have an open discussion, it allows political questions to come into play rather than basing it on numbers that people can understand,” Dr. Joe Vipond, a Calgary ER physician, said Monday.

He said reopening schools to in-person learning on Tuesday, except for schools in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, is a major relaxation of current restrictions, and so he expects the government to wait another three weeks to pass before more changes to measures are made.

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“Schools aren’t magical places where transmission doesn’t occur,” Vipond said. “There were thousands of kids who were infected … We need to make schools as safe as possible.”

When Kenney announced the provincewide transition to online learning, he said up to 80,000 students and staff members were in self-isolation due to infection or exposure — causing operational problems.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, said during Thursday’s press conference that she understands many people are looking for a plan forward as more first doses of COVID-19 vaccine are administered.

“Work is underway on this and I expect more details will be released in the next week or so,” Hinshaw said.

Asked about when an announcement on restrictions could be expected, Steve Buick, press secretary to Alberta’s Minister of Health, told Postmedia Monday that the government will have more to say “in the coming days.”

Some “circuit-breaker” restrictions introduced next door in British Columbia a month ago are expected to be lifted Tuesday as B.C. Premier John Horgan is scheduled to announce that province’s gradual plan to lift all COVID-19 restrictions. The circuit-breaker restrictions included a ban on non-essential travel, and closed indoor dining, worship services and indoor group fitness, among lower limits for gatherings.

In Alberta, restaurants and bars were hit particularly hard when patio service was closed earlier this month after many had already outfitted patios to work around the province’s ban on indoor dining introduced in early April.

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Jeff Jamieson, board member with the Alberta Hospitality Association and owner of Donna Mac, said he hopes this week brings clarity on when he and other restaurant owners can reopen dining.

“We need a clear plan. I know that’s getting almost cliche to say at this point, but we need a clear plan that’s attached to something tangible that we can target and move forward,” said Jamieson.

The transition back to delivery and takeout only has been incredibly hard on local businesses, Jamieson explained. And there isn’t as big a push from the community to shop local this time around.

“People are getting a little tired of it all. We are, in my spaces, seeing sales go down a bit. There’s a little less interest in take-home offerings,” he said.

While daily cases, active cases and hospitalizations continue to drop, the number of COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care remains high.

Alberta reported 452 new cases of COVID-19 Monday, which came from 5,085 completed tests — a test positivity rate of about 8.9 per cent. The number of active cases dropped to 13,608 over the long weekend.

Though hospitalizations continued to decline over the weekend, intensive-care unit admissions have remained high. By Monday, there were 569 COVID-19 patients in hospital, including 161 requiring treatment in ICUs.

Seven additional deaths were reported on Monday, including a woman in her 20s and a man in his 50s from the Calgary zone.

Alberta had administered 2,532,143 doses of COVID-19 vaccine by the end-of-day Sunday. This includes 353,292 second doses for those who are fully immunized.

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According to Alberta Health’s website, this means 48.7 per cent of Alberta’s population has received at least one dose and nearly eight per cent have received both their first and second vaccine shots.

Siksika to offer COVID-19 vaccines to rural Alberta communities

Siksika Nation is opening its vaccination clinic to eligible residents of neighbouring communities, in an effort to strengthen Alberta’s vaccine rollout and get a first dose to more people.

Siksika Health Services has been administering COVID-19 vaccine to Nation members and is prepared to expand the area’s immunization response by expanding the clinic at the Deerfoot Sportsplex to residents from Strathmore, Gleichen, Wheatland County, Vulcan County and Newell County.

“It is my great honour, on behalf of Siksika Nation, to offer an invitation to our surrounding communities to receive COVID-19 immunization in Siksika,” said Nioksskaistamik Ouray Crowfoot, chief of Siksika First Nation.

“Now is the time for us to come together in the spirit of caring and protecting one another, to get through this pandemic together. Our communities do not exist in isolation; we are interconnected.”

Siksika Health Services will be administering doses of Moderna vaccine to those age 18 and over, and Pfizer to those between age 12 and 17 years, in keeping with the age requirements for the Moderna shot.

The clinic opens Tuesday at 10 a.m. for nearby residents. Appointments can be made online by visiting http://siksikahealth.com/rural-vaccine-clinic/ or by calling 403-734-5706. Siksika Nation members and those who live or work in Siksika can get immunized at the clinic on a walk-in basis.

sbabych@postmedia.com
Twitter: @BabychStephanie