Alberta to end its vaccine-passport system immediately, begin loosening restrictions for children

apology if already posted

Tue., Feb. 8, 2022

Edmonton—Alberta’s vaccine passport program will come to an end by midnight on Tuesday, Premier Jason Kenney has announced.

The passport system, dubbed as the Restrictions Exemption Program, is the first of the province’s current public health restrictions to go in a phased approach laid out by Kenney at a press conference Tuesday.

“Now is the time to begin learning to live with COVID,” said Kenney. “These restrictions have led to terrible division.”

“We cannot remain at a heightened state of emergency forever.We have to begin to heal.”

Kenney announced a three-stage approach for the loosening of public health measures.

First, the province will remove nearly all restrictions for children, including the kindergarten to Grade 12 mask mandate, by the coming weekend. Children who are 12 and under also won’t have to abide by the general mask mandate in Alberta. The general mandate still applies for the rest of the population.

“It is time to let kids be kids,” Kenney said.

Some capacity limits will still be in place in Alberta in the first stage.

After three weeks of monitoring the changes, and if hospitalizations continue to decline, Kenney said, the province would move to Stage 2. This stage would see almost all the remaining restrictions lifted, including the general mask mandate, work-from-home orders, and capacity limits.

Kenney said he hopes to see Alberta reach this stage by March 1.

The final stage would see all remaining restrictions lifted. Kenney cautioned that if the health-care system feels too much pressure from COVID, the province could pause the lifting of restrictions.

“The threat of COVID-19 to public health no longer outweighs the damaging impact of public health restrictions,” said Kenney.

“We are well positioned to live with this virus.”

moar @ le sauce:

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/02/08/alberta-to-ends-its-vaccine-passport-system-begin-loosening-restrictions-for-children.html