Alberta 'will consider' relaxing indoor social gathering restrictions for Christmas: Kenney
With December just days away, many Albertans may be wondering if they'll be able to welcome their family over for the holidays.
Though Albertans can currently gather at bars, pubs, coffee shops and restaurants as long as the business is participating in the province’s vaccine passport program, restrictions on indoor social gatherings at people's homes remain in place.
"We've been asking people since the fourth of September not to gather indoors with more than two households – and maximum 10 people – and we thank folks that have carefully followed those rules," Premier Jason Kenney said during a Monday news conference.
Those restrictions are in place for those who are vaccinated; people who aren't vaccinated against COVID-19 are currently not permitted to attend indoor social gatherings.
"We want to make sure that the rules that are in place are rules that the majority of people will follow," the premier added.
Kenney said although no decisions have been made, his government is working to address the upcoming Christmas season.
"As long as ICU pressure continues to abate, we may be in a position to consider something as we move closer to the holidays," Kenney said.
"One key trigger that I've articulated is getting our total ICU pressure below our baseline of about 173 beds. We've made good progress on that thanks to the diligence of Albertans. We are today at, I believe, just over 200 total ICU patients and about 70 with COVID-19.
"So we're now at 115 per cent of ICU capacity and the numbers have been trending in a positive direction, so if that continues – and if we don't see alarming evidence about severe outcomes from Omicron – we will consider some kind of potential modest relaxation of gatherings."
Kenney said he will be speaking on the topic again "at some point in the near future."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.