Stronger public health measures

Mandatory – Reviewed May 5

Provincewide restriction

• All indoor gatherings are prohibited – public and private.
  • close contacts are limited to household members only
  • people who live alone can have up to 2 close contacts:
    • these must be the same 2 contacts throughout the duration of the restriction
    • if the close contacts do not live alone, visits cannot be held at their home
    • single parents who only live with their children under 18 can have up to 2 close contacts

Restrictions do not apply

• Co-parenting arrangements
• Home maintenance and repairs
• Mutual support group meetings
• Service visits from caregivers, health or childcare providers:
  • childcare can include providing post-partum support for new mothers
  • parents are allowed to remain in the home while another person is there to provide childcare services

Mandatory – Effective June 1

Provincewide restriction

• 10 people maximum if gathering with people outside your household.
  • 2 household cohorts maximum is encouraged.
  • No limit if all participants are part of the same household.

Additional safety measures

• Mandatory physical distancing must be maintained at all times between members of different households.
• Outdoor gatherings must not have an indoor component (movement in/out of homes is not permitted).

Mandatory – Effective June 1

Provincewide restrictions

• Funeral receptions – prohibited
• Funeral services – 20 people maximum not including facility staff, funeral clergy or organizers not considered guests

Additional safety measures

• Mandatory physical distancing between households remains in effect.
• Mask use is mandatory.
• Maximum limits apply to:
  • any facility, including places of worship and funeral homes
  • services held indoors or outdoors, seated or non-seated

Mandatory – Effective June 1

Provincewide restrictions

• Wedding receptions – prohibited
• Wedding ceremonies – 10 people maximum including the officiant, bride/groom, witnesses and any photographers/videographers

Additional safety measures

• Mandatory physical distancing between households remain in effect
• Mask use is mandatory
• The maximum limit applies to:
  • any facility, including places of worship
  • ceremonies held indoors or outdoors, seated or non-seated

Mandatory – Effective May 28

Provincewide restriction

• Faith service attendance is limited to 15% of fire code occupancy.

Additional safety measures

• Virtual, online or drive-in services where people do not have to leave their vehicles are recommended.
• Mandatory physical distancing between households must be maintained.
• Mask use is mandatory:
  • faith leaders and other speakers can remove their masks while speaking if there is a distance of 2 metres and must be put on again once finished speaking
  • performers must wear masks at all times
• Group performance activities, such as choir singing and playing music, are permitted if they are normal worship practices and not for the purpose of entertainment.
• In-person faith group meetings and other religious gatherings are:
  • not permitted in private homes while these measures are in effect
  • permitted when conducted at a place of worship as long as physical distancing and public health measures are followed

Returning to Alberta

• If you do not have a household in Alberta, you must not stay in other people’s homes while these restrictions are in place.
• If you belong to the household, you are permitted to return to the home (e.g., child returning home from post-secondary).

Visitors to Alberta

• Out-of-town visitors cannot stay in other people's homes while these restrictions are in place, regardless of where they are coming from.

Mandatory – Updated May 19

• Kindergarten to Grade 12 schools in all areas of the province have returned to in-person learning as of June 1.
• Post-secondary schools will continue online learning until Stage 2 of Alberta's Open for Summer Plan.
• Childcare facilities can remain open.

Mandatory – Effective May 5

Provincewide restrictions

• Indoor fitness – all facilities must close, including for one-on-one training

• Indoor sport and recreation activities are not permitted, including:
  • team sports
  • group practices or training
  • games, competitions or league play of any kind

• Indoor performance activities are not permitted, including:
  • dancing, singing, acting or playing a musical instrument
  • rehearsals or theatrical performances

Mandatory – Effective June 1

Provincewide restrictions

• Prohibited outdoor activities:
  • all team sport games and competitions where 2-metre distancing cannot be maintained at all times (basketball, soccer, football, slo-pitch, etc.)
• Permitted outdoor activities, with participant limits and mandatory 2 metre distancing at all times:
  • individual fitness, recreation and performance activities (running, cycling, dirt biking, golfing, etc.)
  • group activities for 10 or fewer people:
    • team sport training
    • physical activities (walking, running, golfing, etc.)
    • fitness training and outdoor classes
    • one-on-one fitness training with a trainer or coach
    • performance activities (singing, dancing, acting or playing musical instruments)
    • youth skill development activities (Scouts, Girl Guides, 4H, etc)
• Spectators are permitted to attend outdoor physical activities or performances:
  • 10 spectators maximum
  • 2 metres of physical distancing must be maintained at all times
•  Outdoor recreation facilities:
  • outdoor pools, spray parks, golf courses, tennis courts, pickleball courts, croquet pitches, running tracks, bicycle tracks and velodromes can remain open to the public unless specifically closed by public health order
  • more than 10 people may use an outdoor facility at the same time as long as physical distancing is maintained between households

School activities

• Students may participate in physical, performance and recreation activities as part of their education program in groups larger than 10 inside a school building or at an outdoor location.

Professional sport organizations

• Professional sport organizations that have received an exemption can continue, as long as protocols are strictly followed.

Mandatory – Effective May 17

Provincewide restriction

Drive-ins are permitted for outdoor activities that people can participate in or observe while remaining inside a motor vehicle. Activities include:

• worship services
• drive-in movies
• graduation ceremonies
• physical and performance activities

There is no limit to the number of people permitted to attend a drive-in activity, provided all participants:

• remain inside their motor vehicles, except where necessary to use the washroom
• park their motor vehicle at least 2 metres away from other motor vehicles
• maintain physical distancing of 2 metres between households

For more information, see guidance for drive-in events.

Mandatory – Effective June 1

Provincewide restrictions

• Indoor dining is not permitted.
• Outdoor patio dining is limited to
  • 4 people per table if from the same household, or
  • 3 per table if you live alone and the other 2 diners are your close contacts.
• Takeout, curbside pickup and delivery are encouraged.

Additional safety measures

• Contact information must be collected from one person of the dining party.
• Tables and dining parties must be 2 metres apart or separated by an impermeable barrier that will prevent droplet transmission.
• Individuals must stay seated with their dining party unless using the washroom, paying, or entering/exiting the facility. Masks must be worn indoors.
• Liquor service ends at 10 pm.
• Patio dining must close by 11 pm.
• No entertainment allowed (VLTs, pool tables, live music, etc.).

Patio requirements

• Patios and dining facilities must meet the following requirements in order to be considered outdoors:
  • If the patio or facility has a roof, it cannot have more than one enclosing wall.
  • If the patio or facility does not have a roof, it can have more than one enclosing wall.
  • Umbrellas and pergolas are not considered to be roofs.
  • Fences and half-walls are not counted as walls.

Mandatory – Effective June 1

Provincewide restrictions

• Customer capacity limited to 15% of fire code occupancy, or 5 customers, whichever is greater. Staff are not included in this total.
• Shopping mall capacity limits exclude common area square footage.

Additional safety measures

• Curbside pick-up, delivery and online services are encouraged.
• Shop alone or only with the people you live with (see tips for shoppers).

Examples of retail services

• Retail businesses
• Shopping centres and malls
• Grocery stores, markets and pharmacies
• Clothing and sporting goods stores
• Computer and technology stores
• Hardware and automotive
• Liquor and cannabis
• Pet supply stores
• Gift shops

Mandatory – Revised May 5

Provincewide restriction

All entertainment businesses and entities must remain closed, including:

• Casinos, bingo halls, gaming centres
• Racing centres, horse tracks, raceways
• Bowling alleys, pool halls
• Art galleries and museums
• Libraries
• Science and interpretive centres
• Amusement and water parks
• Children’s play centres and indoor playgrounds
• Movie theatres, auditoria and concert halls
• Nightclubs

Mandatory restriction – Effective June 1

Provincewide restrictions

• All personal and wellness services can open by appointment only
  • walk-in services are not permitted
  • appointments should be limited to one-on-one services
  • businesses must follow all current public health guidance
  • home-based businesses must follow the restrictions for the type of service they provide

Examples of personal services

• Esthetics, manicure, pedicure, body waxing, make-up
• Body, nose and ear piercing, and tattoos
• Artificial tanning and spray tanning
• Facial, eyebrow and eyelash treatments
• Cosmetic skin and body treatments
• Laser hair and tattoo removal
• Hairstyling and barbering

Examples of wellness services

• Floatation tanks
• Reflexology
• Colonic irrigation

Mandatory – Revised May 5

Provincewide restrictions

The following services can remain open by appointment only as long as public health orders and sector guidance is followed. Appointments should be limited to one-on-one services.

• Regulated health services, including:
  • physicians, dentists
  • physical therapists
  • optometrists
  • chiropractors
  • hearing aid practitioners
  • acupuncturists
  • naturopaths

• Non-regulated health services, including:
  • massage therapists (a prescription or referral is no longer required)
  • manual osteopaths
  • kinesiologists
  • athletic therapists

• Professional services, including:
  • lawyers
  • mediators
  • accountants
  • photographers

• Social services, including:
  • social, protective or emergency services
  • shelters for vulnerable persons
  • not-for-profit community kitchens, religious kitchens and soup kitchens

• Home-based businesses should follow the restrictions for the type of service they provide.

Mandatory – Effective June 1

Provincewide restrictions

Hotels, motels, hunting and fishing lodges:

• Indoor dining is not permitted (room service or patio dining only)
• Spas and indoor fitness facilities must close
• Indoor pools and hot tubs must close
• Outdoor pools and hot tubs may be rented out or used for the exclusive use of a person and their household

Banquet halls, community halls and conference centres:

• Permitted activities:
  • wedding ceremonies up to 10 people
  • funeral services up to 20 people
• Prohibited activities:
  • wedding or funeral receptions
  • trade shows

Mandatory restrictions – Effective June 1

Provincewide restrictions

• Working from home is mandatory unless the employer requires the employee's physical presence to operate effectively.
• Employees must wear a mask in all indoor workplaces, except:
  • in work stations or where 2-metre distancing or adequate physical barriers are in place
  • a workplace hazard assessment determines there is a safety risk
• Any workplace with transmission of 3 or more cases will be required to close for 10 days. Work camps, essential and critical services are exempt.
• Any workplace that does not comply will be subject to enforcement.
• See workplace closures for more information.