Alberta Premier Jason Kenney at the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital (Photo: Shane Clausing, EverythingGP, staff)

By Abby Zieverink

Phase Two: March 1

Alberta lifting nearly all COVID-19 restrictions March 1

Feb 26, 2022 | 11:42 AM

Alberta is set to see nearly all COVID-19 restrictions removed on March 1 as part of Stage 2 in its easing of restrictions.

Effective March 1, Alberta will begin step two, which will include the end of limits on social gatherings, capacity limits for large venues, remaining school requirements, screening of youth for activities, the mandatory work-from-home order and public masking requirements except in high-risk settings.

Premier Jason Kenney announced this Saturday at the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital along with other dignitaries to also mark the opening of the new hospital.

Rolling into the second phase is in alignment with the province’s February 8 announcement of removing all COVID-19 restrictions. Kenney says they are able to due this with their initial plan due to the decline of hospitalizations across the province.

Over the past three weeks, Kenney says hospitalizations saw a 20 per cent decline in the past three weeks, with ICU hospitalizations due to COVID-19 down roughly 30 per cent.

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“Over the last three weeks, cases and hospitalizations have continued to drop as we have started lifting restrictions. This promising trend puts Alberta in a position to safely remove the majority of remaining public health measures. This is a good day for Albertans as we get another step closer to getting back to normal.”

Taking into effect at March 1 includes:

• The remaining provincial school requirements (including cohorting) will be removed.
• Screening prior to youth activities will no longer be required.
• Capacity limits will be lifted for all venues.
• Limits on social gatherings will be removed.
• The provincial mask mandate will be lifted in most settings. However, masking will still be required in high-risk settings, including on public transit, at Alberta Health Services-operated and contracted facilities and all continuing care settings.
• Restrictions on interactive activities, liquor service and operating hours will be lifted
• Mandatory work-from-home requirements will be removed.

Phase one, which took into effect at 11:59 p.m. on February 8, saw the Restrictions Exemption Program (REP) removed entirely from all venues, businesses and event areas impacted by it, restrictions on food and beverage at entertainment venues removed, as well as capacity limits removed for all indoor areas with the exception of
large capacity venues.

Then on February 14, indoor masking requirements for youth 12 and under in all settings as well as masking requirements were removed for students in K-12.

The move into Phase 3 will be determined at a later date based on the hospitalization trends.

• COVID-19-specific measures in continuing care and acute care settings and on public transit will be removed.
• Mandatory isolation becomes a recommendation only.

More details can be found here.