Alberta bans social gatherings with $1,000 fines for non-compliance as COVID-19 cases continue to rise

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The Alberta government has banned indoor private gatherings, introduced new restrictions on businesses, and will be moving older students to online learning as part of sweeping new COVID-19 measures.

Declaring a state of public health emergency, Premier Jason Kenney said the province will consider taking more drastic measures if the mandatory measures do not reduce the rate of transmission, which is currently 1.12, to below one over the next three weeks. Alberta reported 1,115 new cases, 16 additional deaths and more active cases than any other province Tuesday.

“That’s the absolute minimum metric goal that we must achieve by Dec. 15,” Kenney said Tuesday. “Ideally, we’d like to see it get to 0.8 per cent. But if we start to move it below one, then we know that we’ve begun effectively to bend the curve.”

Effective immediately, no indoor social gatherings will be permitted in any setting across the province until further notice. People who live alone are permitted to have two non-household contacts for the duration of the restriction. Outdoor gatherings, as well as weddings and funerals, are limited to 10 people.

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Those who do not comply with the new mandatory rules could receive fines of $1,000 per ticketed offence and up to $100,000 through the courts.

“To people who are upset about these kinds of restrictions: I’m upset with them, too. That’s why we spent eight hours grappling with this yesterday. But … it’s not good enough to complain. You tell us: how are we going to ensure timely access to health services for people who need them?” said Kenney, adding that the health-care system is strained with 348 Albertans in hospital, including 66 in the ICU, as a result of COVID-19.

Visits from caregivers, health or childcare providers are still allowed. Work and support groups are not considered social gatherings and remain permitted, however public health measures must be followed and attendance should be limited. All workers who can work from home are asked to do so.

Hot spots of the province which are under enhanced status on the government’s website — including Edmonton and Calgary — also face restrictions on places of worship, businesses and services until further notice.

Places of worship now have a mandatory capacity, rather than a recommendation, of one-third of normal attendance with physical distancing and masking required. Leaders are encouraged to hold services online.

Restrictions on businesses start Friday and will be in place for at least three weeks.

Retail businesses and services will be restricted to 25 per cent of occupancy limits, a move Kenney said is an effort to reduce interactions without hurting businesses.

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“This government made a grave mistake in the spring. A stupidly arbitrary distinction between essential and non-essential retail businesses,” he said.

Businesses that must follow the capacity rule include: liquor and cannabis stores, grocery stores, pharmacies, farmers markets and stores that sell clothing, technology, hardware and vehicles. Movie theatres, museums and galleries, libraries, amusement parks, water parks, bingo halls, racing centres, and private or public swimming pools must also abide by it.

Albertans are encouraged to limit in-person shopping trips and shop online or do curbside pickup.

In-person dining at restaurants can continue, but tables must be limited to six patrons and movement must not be permitted between tables. Those dining together must live in the same household.

Licensed restaurants will continue to face the same curfews announced two weeks ago: liquor cannot be sold after 10 p.m. and in-person dining must end at 11 p.m.

Casinos must close table games, keeping only slots open, and follow the 25 per cent occupancy rule. They are required to follow the liquor curfew, but can remain open after 11 p.m.

Banquet halls, conference centres, concert venues and children’s play places will be temporarily closed in the Edmonton and Calgary Zones.

All levels of team and individual sport in enhanced regions must be halted, though leagues may apply for exemptions.

Some businesses will be available by appointment only, including hair salons, personal services such as waxing, piercing, tattoos, manicures and massages, hotels and professional services such as lawyers, mediators, accountants and photographers.

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In schools, which have seen rising cases of COVID-19, grades 7 to 12 in all parts of the province will move to online learning on Nov. 30 for the rest of the calendar year. Grades K to 6 will continue in-person learning until winter break, with the last day of classes on Dec. 18. The first week of classes for all students following the holidays, from Jan. 4-8, will be online.

Diploma exams in April, June and August 2021 are optional, with students and families able to choose whether to write them or receive exemptions.

In the Edmonton and Calgary Zones, masks are mandatory in all indoor workplaces for employees and visitors effective immediately and until further notice.

Albertans will receive an emergency alert via smartphone later this week to make sure they are aware of the new restrictions.

Kenney said the measures target places where COVID-19 is spreading. However, nearly 85 per cent of the province’s 13,349 active cases have an unknown origin.

When asked what data the province based its decisions on, Kenney said the government looked at research and lessons from around the world, and accumulated data in Alberta.

“We have eight months of contact tracing data. It’s reasonable to draw inferences from the patterns of infection that we’ve seen,” he said.

But will the new measures work?

Dr. Lynora Saxinger, who previously called for a two-week “circuit breaker” lockdown along with dozens of other doctors, expressed mixed feelings about Tuesday’s restrictions. She said she believes they will help slow the transmission of COVID-19 but said the question is by how much.

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“What worries me is, because we have been flying blind for the last while and we don’t really know where transmission is occurring. There is a possibility that trying to kind of fine-tune recommendations without current data, you still might miss the mark,” said Saxinger.

Saxinger said the latest restrictions read as a compromise between what public health would have recommended and what the current government would like to see. She also noted closing some schools while leaving bars and casinos open appears to be bad optics.

“It does read as, I think, some progress compared to what we had in place before, but I’m concerned it might not be enough,” said Saxinger.

NDP Opposition Leader Rachel Notley said the restrictions don’t go far enough to protect public health.

Alberta is the only province in the country without a provincial mask mandate, though some cities including Edmonton and Calgary have enacted their own. Without one, Notley expressed concern that Albertans will remain at risk of contracting COVID-19, which would do more damage to the economy.

“If the decisions announced today were based on public health advice, why did the premier and cabinet and then his caucus spend hours and hours and hours … debating amongst themselves?”

Meanwhile, Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson applauded the measures in a statement.

“I’ve long stressed that a regional approach is key to helping slow the spread of COVID-19 which is why I’m relieved to see the province announce these new measures today that I hope will help flatten the curve across our region,” said Iveson.

The city is evaluating the restrictions to determine how its programs and services will be affected.

Full details on the new measures can be found here.

Editor’s note: The story has been updated to clarify January leaning plans