Mandatory masks indoors, $100 vaccine incentive among Alberta’s measures to curb COVID-19’s spread

The province also recommends that employers pause any plans to have staff return to work and instead continue with work-from-home measures.

If employees are working at the office, employees need to mask for all indoor settings, except in work stations or where two-metre physical distancing or adequate physical barriers are in place.

Announcing the new measures after weeks of silence from him and his government on the COVID-19 file, Premier Jason Kenney also laid out a plan to try to incentivize vaccine uptake among those who have not been fully vaccinated in the province.

With that, the province is offering a one-time incentive of $100 for all Albertans aged 18 or older who receive a first or second dose of vaccine between Sept. 3 and Oct. 14.

After vaccination, those eligible Albertans would then be able to register online, starting Sept. 13.

“Vaccines are safe, effective, and a game-changer,” stressed Kenney.

“This is why the current wave is different than what we’ve experienced before. While we do not need to return to the same widespread and dramatic measures we had in place earlier in the pandemic, unvaccinated Albertans in particular are still at risk and are placing a heavy load on our health-care system. This is why we are taking measured steps and introducing a new incentive program to encourage more Albertans to get the jab.”

These incentives come as Kenney referred to the current spike in COVID-19 cases and subsequent hospitalizations as “the pandemic of the unvaccinated”, largely due to the disproportionate number of unvaccinated people currently occupying a hospital bed for COVID-19.

Currently, more than 80 per cent of COVID-19 cases in hospital in Alberta are unvaccinated, including 91 per cent of patients in intensive care.

With those figures, Kenney says data suggests Albertans between the ages of 20 and 59 are 50 to 60 times more likely to required hospitalization for COVID-19 if they are unvaccinated.

“So, please, get vaccinated,” Kenney urged Friday. “These numbers say it better than anybody ever could.”

As of September 1, 78.2 per cent of eligible Albertans had received at least one dose, while 70 per cent were fully vaccinated.

Stressing that the way out of the pandemic is to get vaccinated, Kenney urged all eligible Albertans to sign up to receive their vaccine.

“I am going to be blunt: If you are unvaccinated, it is urgent that you protect yourself, our hospitals and our entire community by getting the benefit of this miracle of modern medicine as soon as possible.”

New modelling released by the province Friday shows that at current rates, intensive care unit patients could possibly peak at around 180 in the medium scenario. If the current accelerating trend continues, ICU numbers could reach or exceed the currently projected high scenario at 290.

It was also announced Friday that up to 60 per cent of surgeries in the North Zone would be postponed to create additional ICU bed space in the region, including in Grande Prairie.

by Shaun Penner