Alberta to open restaurants & gyms on Feb 8th as part of new ‘step-by-step’ plan

Well, it’s been a long time coming, but it looks like the nearly two-months of what was virtually a lockdown have worked enough for Alberta to ease up on COVID restrictions. Starting on February 8th, some in-person dining at restaurants and gyms will open to the public across Alberta as part of a step-by-step program as long as hospitalizations remain under 600.

In a press conference Friday afternoon, Premier Kenney made the announcement regarding Alberta’s COVID measures. Since early December, restaurants have been closed for dine-in, gyms have been closed, and retail stores have only been able to operate at a 15% capacity.

If we remain on track, step one will include:

RESTAURANTS AND BARS

Restaurants, pubs, bars, lounges, and cafes will be able to open for in-person service, as long as each table does not exceed 6 people. Individuals must be from the same household or if you live alone, may include yourself and two close contacts. Liquor services must end at 10:00 PM with dining closing at 11:00 PM, and one person from each table will be required to give their contact information. Also, entertainment (pool tables, VLTs, etc.) will not be permitted.

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RECREATIONAL FACILITIES

Indoor fitness centres will be able to open, however:

• No sports games, competitions, team practice, league play, or group exercise of any kind is allowed.
• Only one-on-one training will be permitted (e.g. fitness in dance studios, training figure skating on ice, one-on-one lessons).
• Sessions have to be scheduled or by appointment. No drop-in or groups allowed.

Also, all sessions must be done at a distance of 3 metres, trainers must be professional and have to remain masked the entire time. This information does lack clarity on whether or not gyms will actually be open to the general public but with limited capacity, so we’ll be waiting on the Alberta government to provide more info on that.

INDOOR OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AT SCHOOLS

As of the 8th, children’s sport and performance activities will be permitted if related to school activities, such as physical education classes and k-12 schools as well as post-secondary institutions may use off-site facilities to support curriculum-related activities.

To check out even more information on the new COVID restrictions in Alberta, visit the Alberta government website here.