Premier Jason Kenney made some last-minute changes to the private gathering rules the province announced mid-September..“Indoor gatherings last Thanksgiving sparked the second wave of COVID with cases and hospitalizations surging after millions of Albertans celebrated in close contact with loved ones,” said Kenney in his provincial health update on Tuesday..In Kenney’s provincial update on September 15, he announced new measures that were being put in place to deal with the “fourth wave.”.Private gatherings for unvaccinated individuals were no longer permitted. Vaccinated individuals were also restricted to only two households and up to a maximum of 10 people who are eligible to be vaccinated, so excluding children under 12 years of age..Outdoor private gatherings were restricted to 200 people with the continued practice of social distancing measures..“We simply can’t afford a repeat scenario,” said Kenney on Tuesday, reiterating the previous restriction, but updated the number of people allowed to gather in outdoor private gatherings from 200 to 20..Kenney highlights that family gatherings are opportunities for super-spreader events and implored Albertans to follow the current guidelines for the foreseeable future..According to the Alberta government website, here are the mandatory restrictions as of October 5:.Indoor social gatherings.Vaccinated: Indoor private social gatherings are limited to two households (yours plus one other) up to a maximum of 10 vaccine-eligible, vaccinated people and no restrictions on children under 12.Unvaccinated: Indoor social gatherings are not permitted for vaccine-eligible people who are unvaccinated.This restriction does not apply to mutual support groups, or to workers who need to access your home to provide care-giving support or home repairs and maintenance..Outdoor social gatherings.Outdoor private social gatherings limited to a maximum of 20 people, with two-metre physical distancing between households at all times..Go to the Alberta government website for a full rundown of all the current COVID-19 public health actions in the province..Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandardonline.com
