Kenney backtracks, OK’s Alberta vaccine passport,
Alberta premier declares state of public health emergency in province
EDMONTON—Amid a raging fourth wave of COVID-19 cases, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has declared a state of public health emergency in his province and introduced a slate of new measures — including a vaccine passport system — in a major about face for the United Conservative leader.
Kenney’s announcement came at a news conference Wednesday evening that followed a trying day for Alberta, where the health-care system and its intensive-care units have been struggling to keep up with surging cases.
A person had died at a rate of one per hour — making for 24 deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday — along with 1,609 new reported cases.
The premier acknowledged the situation in his province is turning out to be worse than the worst-case-scenario of recent modelling and said Alberta could run out of staffed intensive care beds within the next 10 days.
“Unless we slow transmission, particularly among unvaccinated Albertans, we simply will not be able to provide adequate care to everyone who gets sick based on current trends,” Kenney said. “How bad this situation becomes and how long it lasts is now up to each and every one of us.”
Despite having promised for weeks that the province would not do so, Kenney told the news conference a vaccine passport system will be brought in for some businesses beginning Monday.
Eligible businesses and events that choose to require proof of vaccination or proof of a negative test after that date will be exempt from new public health restrictions being brought in.
However, there are also new public health measures for the province that apply generally — such as mandatory work-fromhome orders, mandatory masking in schools, and restrictions on indoor social gatherings.
Even those fully vaccinated aren’t permitted to gather with more than one other person outside their household. Those not vaccinated are not permitted to socialize.
Starting Monday, there’s no more indoor dining unless a business requires proof of vaccination. There are capacity restrictions on fitness centres, places of worship and other public spaces.
Adopting a vaccine passport is a dramatic shift for Kenney, who had vowed not to bring in a system that restricted where unvaccinated people could go publicly. He had previously raised concerns about privacy laws and instead suggested that businesses or event organizers could themselves require passports.
The new clampdown also comes after Kenney’s government lifted most COVID restrictions at the beginning of July, promising residents the “best summer ever.”
The premier appeared to apologize for those actions early in his news conference, but later, during follow-up questions from a reporter, was quick to clarify that he wouldn’t apologize. Instead, Kenney said he was sorry for being “too optimistic” that the province would be open for good and for underestimating the virus. He defended the decision to lift restrictions when he did.
Alberta’s COVID-19 situation has become one of the worst in the country. For weeks the province has been seeing 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 per day, on average, with a steady rise in hospitalizations — most of them unvaccinated people. Alberta’s vaccination rate has slowed over the summer and only has just over 71 per cent of eligible people fully vaccinated.
Hospitals are struggling. Alberta Health Services has been adding surge capacity to ICUs but has still been seeing beds across the province fill up almost completely. Earlier this week, intensive care units were at 90 per cent capacity.