Only days after announcing its Open for Summer Plan, the province says we’ve already triggered Stage 2.
As of Thursday, 60.3 percent of eligible Albertans had received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. That means as long as hospitalizations are under 500 and trending down, more restrictions could be eased on June 10. As of Thursday, there were 517 people in hospital due to COVID-19.
Stage 2 means outdoor social gatherings and indoor weddings can increase to 20 people and restaurants can seat tables with up to six people, inside and out. The two-week waiting period after hitting the 60 per cent vaccination milestone is meant to provide time for those vaccines to take effect.
Stage 1 comes into effect on June 1st, permitting outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people and outdoor sports and recreation for up to 10 people. Personal and wellness services are allowed to reopen, along with restaurant patios. Retail stores will be allowed to have up to 15 per cent of fire code occupancy.
Restrictions eased in Stage 2 of the Open for Summer Plan:
- Outdoor social gatherings increase to 20 people, with distancing.
- Wedding ceremonies may occur with up to 20 attendees. Receptions are permitted outdoors only.
- Funeral ceremonies remain unchanged with up to 20 people permitted, not including facility staff, funeral clergy or organizers not considered guests. Receptions are permitted outdoors only.
- Restaurants may seat tables with up to six people, indoors or outdoors.
- Dining parties are no longer restricted to households only.
- Physical distancing and other restrictions still apply.
- Retail capacity increases to one-third of fire code occupancy (must maintain ability to distance).
- Capacity for places of worship increases to one-third of fire code occupancy.
- Gyms and other indoor fitness open for solo and drop-in activities with three-metre distancing between participants and fitness classes may resume with three-metre distancing.
- Indoor settings may open with up to one-third of fire code occupancy, including indoor recreation centres. This includes arenas, cinemas, theatres, museums, art galleries and libraries.
- Indoor and outdoor youth and adult sports resume with no restrictions.
- Youth activities, such as day camps and play centres, may resume, with restrictions.
- Personal and wellness services can resume walk-in services.
- Post-secondary institutions can resume in-person learning.
- The work-from-home order is lifted but still recommended.
- Outdoor fixed seating facilities (e.g., grandstands) can open with one-third seated capacity.
- Public outdoor gatherings increase to 150 people (e.g. concerts/festivals), with restrictions.
- Distancing and masking requirements remain in effect.
While these rules do not apply to the entirety of the City of Lloydminster, it does to every area west of the city limits. Lloydminster as a whole follows the Saskatchewan Re-Opening Roadmap.
Written by Tina Karst, mylethbridgenow.com
