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Alberta officials are holding a COVID-19 presser Thursday, for the second day in a row.
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Dr. Deena Hinshaw, the province’s chief medical officer of health, will face reporters at 3:30 p.m. She will be joined by Dr. Verna Yiu, president and CEO of Alberta Health Services.
According to the government news release, Premier Jason Kenney and Health Minister Tyler Shandro are not expected to attend.
The press conference comes after Kenney announced sweeping provincewide restrictions and a vaccine passport system Wednesday evening in a bid to prevent the province’s healthcare system from collapsing.
Declaring a state of public health emergency, Kenney said the province was on track to run out of intensive care beds and staff to manage COVID-19 patients within 10 days.
Kenney, who previously stated the province was “open for good” and would not bring in vaccine passports, said the decision is now “the only responsible choice we have” given how many unvaccinated people are ending up in hospital.
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As of Thursday, both vaccinated and unvaccinated Albertans are subject to new measures such as restrictions on indoor social gatherings, a 200-person cap on outdoor gatherings, and a mandatory work-from-home order.
Starting Monday, non-essential businesses such as restaurants and venues will need to restrict services and capacity limits, respectively, or apply for the province’s vaccine passport system – which Kenney referred to as the “restriction exemption program.”
Under the program, businesses must require patrons to show proof of full vaccination or a negative test from a private lab taken within 72 hours in order to allow entry.
COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and intensive care admissions have skyrocketed in Alberta in recent weeks, causing AHS to cancel thousands of non-urgent surgeries and open surge beds to try to keep up with demand.
“We are facing the greatest challenge in the provincial health care organization,” Dr. Yiu said Wednesday.
More to come
