Greater Alberta COVID-19 Restrictions


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NEW Province of Alberta COVID-19 Restrictions
As of December 13th, 2020 (effective today) there are new restrictions in Alberta that affect Pigeon Lake area due to COVID-19.

Expanded health measures will be in effect province-wide. All Albertans, businesses, organizations and service providers must follow all new health measures. These restrictions will be in place for a minimum of four weeks.
As per the latest Health Orders 41-2020 and 40-2020 on https://www.alberta.ca/covid-19-orders-and-legislation.aspx this is a summary of the changes:

All of Pigeon Lake MANDATORY Health Measures as ordered by Alberta Health Services (AHS):
  • SOCIAL GATHERINGS
    • All indoor and outdoor social gatherings – public and private – are prohibited.
    • Close contacts are limited to household members only.
    • Individuals who live alone will be allowed up to two close contacts for in-person visiting, with those two people remaining the same for the duration of the restriction period.
  • WEAR YOUR MASK
    • Mandatory indoor public masking requirement extended throughout the province of Alberta.
      • Farm operations are excluded, unless interacting with the public.
  • PLACES OF WORSHIP
    • All places of worship will be limited to 15% of fire code occupancy for in-person attendance
  • SERVICES
    • All Retail services must reduce customer capacity to 15 per cent of fire code occupancy or min 5 customers.
    • Restaurants, pubs, bars, lounges and cafes will be closed to in-person service.
      • Curbside pickup, delivery and online services are encouraged.
    • Hotels may remain open but must follow restrictions – no spas, pools or in-person dining. Room services only.
    • Outdoor recreation is permitted, but facilities will only be open to access washrooms.
    • Mandatory work from home measures will be implemented unless the employer determines that work requires a physical presence for operational effectiveness.
  • CLOSURES
    • Casinos, bingo halls, gaming entertainment centres, racing entertainment centres, horse tracks, raceways, bowling alleys, pool halls, legions, and private clubs- will be closed.
    • Recreational facilities such as fitness centres, recreation centres, pools, spas, gyms, studios, day and overnight camps, indoor rinks and arenas – will be closed.
    • Entertainment businesses and entities such as libraries, science centres, interpretive centres, museums, galleries, amusement parks and water parks – will be closed.
    • Personal and wellness services, including hair salons, nail salons, massage, tattoos, and piercing, will be closed.
  • ONGOING CLOSURES – from November 27th
    • ENTERTAINMENT businesses and entities such as:
      • community halls and centres,
      • indoor children's play centres and indoor playgrounds,
      • theatres,
      • auditoriums,
      • concert halls,
      • community theatres,
      • nightclubs,
      • banquet halls,
      • conference centres,
      • indoor and outdoor festivals,
      • concerts with the exception of drive-in events,
      • tradeshows,
      • sporting events or competitions - remain closed.
  • Alberta Health Services (AHS) Access (Effective Monday, December 14th)
    • Effective Monday (Dec. 14th) access for designated support persons in AHS acute setting will be limited to just one designated support person for each patient in:
      • Ambulatory care,
      • Emergency departments,
      • urgent care,
      • maternity/postpartum,
      • and other inpatient areas.
      • Access will be limited to up to two designated support persons for each patient in critical care, pediatrics, and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Why are these measures needed?
  • Albertan's have a responsibility to slow the virus's spread and make sure the health system can continue supporting patients with COVID-19, influenza and many other needs.
  • There is a time lag between when people get infected and when new cases are identified. This means the cases we see today were infected up to 2 weeks ago.
  • We must work together to protect each other. The greater the community spread, the more likely it will infect our loved ones most at-risk of severe outcomes, including death.

What else you should do
Albertan's must continue following existing public health measures to keep everyone safe:
  • Prevent the Spread: Stay 2 metres apart when you can, wear a mask when you can't
  • Practice good hygiene: wash your hands often and cover coughs and sneezes
  • If you have symptoms/sick, stay home, get tested, and follow mandatory isolation requirements while waiting for results:
    • if positive, isolate from others for 10 days or until symptoms are gone, whichever is longer
    • if negative, stay home until you're better
  • Avoid non-essential travel
  • Get the flu shot to keep influenza cases low so health workers can focus on the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Download and use the ABTraceTogether contact tracing app when out in public

Additional information