COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta
The COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta is part of an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The province of Alberta has the third-most cases of COVID-19 in Canada, behind only Ontario and Quebec.
Jason Kenney, the Premier of Alberta, working closely with the Emergency Management Cabinet Committee, followed the recommendations of Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, in response to the "rapidly evolving global threat". A state of public health emergency was declared on March 17. Alberta's public health laboratory greatly increased tests for COVID-19, reaching 1,000 a day by March 8, and 3,000 a day by March 26.[1] Hinshaw said that by March 20, "World-wide, Alberta has been conducting among the highest number of tests per capita."[2] As of March 18, 2022, 6,905,190 tests have been conducted in Alberta.[3] On June 12, the entire province of Alberta moved to Stage 2 of the government's economic relaunch plan.[4]
The peak of the first wave was reached on April 30, 2020, when the number of active cases of COVID-19 in the province reached 3,022.[5] By October 19, 2020, during the second wave, the number of active cases reached 3,138.[5] This began a series of new record high case numbers in Alberta, peaking on December 14, 2020, at 20,500 active cases.[6] An attempt to lift restrictions after cases subsided in early-2021 was interrupted in March by a third wave, fuelled by variants of concern. This led to a rollback of the reopening process until the first vaccine dose was sufficiently distributed among residents. On July 1, Alberta lifted almost all remaining public health orders. In late-July 2021, amid evidence of a fourth wave in Alberta, the province faced criticism for plans to treat COVID-19 as an endemic illness by scaling back testing, contact tracing, and self-isolation requirements.[7]
Due to the fourth wave, the province began to reintroduce restrictions on September 4, including mandatory masks inside public indoor spaces. On September 15, 2021, Premier Kenney redeclared a public health emergency, announced the reinstatement of restrictions on businesses and gatherings, and announced a vaccine mandate for businesses, entities, and events that require exemptions to the public health orders.
Other reactions[edit]
Sports[edit]
The National Hockey League season was suspended, affecting the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers. The Western Hockey League and Canadian Hockey League scrapped the remainder of its season on March 23.[108]
In July 2020, the NHL announced that Rogers Place in Edmonton would be one of two host arenas of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs beginning August 1 (alongside Toronto's Scotiabank Arena), which were played behind closed doors with all participating teams staying within a restricted bio-secure bubble encompassing the arena and nearby facilities such as hotels.[109] Rogers Centre had been considered a front-runner prior to the announcement due to its high-quality facilities and ease of access to nearby hotels and facilities, while the league eventually focused on Canadian cities due to the spike of new cases in the United States.[110][111]
Alberta subsequently hosted bio-secure bubbles for several other continental and international sporting events, including:
Hockey Alberta cancelled the remainder of the 2020-21 minor hockey season on February 2, 2021, citing uncertainties over the requirements for Alberta's four-step reopening.[124]