No one cares about the doctors' opinions and the "heath officials" recommendations anymore.
If you want to keep wearing your mask, go for it.
Saskatchewan To Drop All Proof Of Vaccination Mandates Starting Sunday Feb 13
- Thread starter Breeze
- Start date
If you want to keep wearing your mask, go for it.
As of midnight Tuesday, Albertans will no longer need to show their QR code to dine in restaurants or sit at entertainment venues.
Premier Jason Kenney announced the three-step plan to ease public health measures in the province on Tuesday. As he'd previously promised, the restrictions exemption program — Alberta's version of the vaccine passport — was first to go.
"It is clear that we passed the peak of our current infections about three weeks ago and are now seeing the result as COVID-related hospital admissions are declining," Kenney said at a news conference.
"It has always been the government's approach to keep public health measures in place only so long as they are absolutely necessary to protect public health and our health-care system throughout the pandemic."
At midnight, capacity limits will be removed for smaller venues, including libraries and places of worship with a capacity of less than 500. Food and beverage consumption will be allowed in venues where audiences are seated.
Larger venues will still have some limits: facilities with a capacity of 500 to 1,000 will continue to be limited to 500, while those with capacity for 1,000-plus people will be limited to 50 per cent.
Also part of the first phase, children aged 12 and under will be exempt from all masking requirements; in schools, masking requirements will be lifted for students of all ages. Both those measures take effect on Monday.
"The threat of COVID-19 to public health no longer outweighs the hugely damaging impact of health restrictions on our society, on people's mental health, on their emotional wellbeing, on our broader social health," Kenney said.
"So now is the time to begin learning to live with COVID."
When asked why the province is moving so quickly to remove health measures, Kenney said, "We know that in many areas that we are already having compliance problems.
"I just think it would invite very widespread non-compliance for no useful purpose"
Soon Ontario will announce similar plans to drop all mandates
Premier Jason Kenney announced the three-step plan to ease public health measures in the province on Tuesday. As he'd previously promised, the restrictions exemption program — Alberta's version of the vaccine passport — was first to go.
"It is clear that we passed the peak of our current infections about three weeks ago and are now seeing the result as COVID-related hospital admissions are declining," Kenney said at a news conference.
"It has always been the government's approach to keep public health measures in place only so long as they are absolutely necessary to protect public health and our health-care system throughout the pandemic."
At midnight, capacity limits will be removed for smaller venues, including libraries and places of worship with a capacity of less than 500. Food and beverage consumption will be allowed in venues where audiences are seated.
Larger venues will still have some limits: facilities with a capacity of 500 to 1,000 will continue to be limited to 500, while those with capacity for 1,000-plus people will be limited to 50 per cent.
Also part of the first phase, children aged 12 and under will be exempt from all masking requirements; in schools, masking requirements will be lifted for students of all ages. Both those measures take effect on Monday.
"The threat of COVID-19 to public health no longer outweighs the hugely damaging impact of health restrictions on our society, on people's mental health, on their emotional wellbeing, on our broader social health," Kenney said.
"So now is the time to begin learning to live with COVID."
When asked why the province is moving so quickly to remove health measures, Kenney said, "We know that in many areas that we are already having compliance problems.
"I just think it would invite very widespread non-compliance for no useful purpose"
Soon Ontario will announce similar plans to drop all mandates
They can think can theyre the majority until theyre blue in the face. Everytime the narrative shifts away from them, they double down harder only to reveal themselves clowns. Let them have their moment - its all they have left. Freedom will prevail ultimately.
I hope once all mandates are dropped, the mods will delete the covid section.
Quebec plans to lift most pandemic restrictions by mid-March
Quebec Premier François Legault had one message for Quebecers Tuesday: it is time to learn to live with the virus.
"The population is fed up. I'm fed up. We're all fed up," he said. "But the reason we resisted [easing restrictions] until today was because there was too much risk."
"Right now, we can take a calculated risk and finally turn the page."
Legault announced that most of the province's restrictions will be lifted by mid-March, though mandatory mask mandates and the vaccine passport will remain — at least for now.
It's the latest in a series of reopening announcements, as the province steadily backs away from the mass shutdowns put in place in December due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Legault said that hospitalizations in the province have gone down by more than 1,000 patients in the last few weeks, giving the health network enough breathing room to now attempt a gradual reopening.
When asked if the recent convoy protest in Quebec City influenced his decision to reopen, Legault said it had not.
"But if they want to take credit and not come back in two weeks, I wouldn't be opposed to that," he said.
Home gatherings will no longer have any restrictions as of this Saturday, Feb. 12, though public health recommends having at most 10 people present, or three households.
"It will be up to each person to evaluate the risk," Legault said. "How many people am I with? How many got their third dose? How many are over 60 — what risk am I ready to take?"
In addition, restaurants will also be allowed to accommodate a maximum of 10 people per table as of Saturday. Currently, only four people, or two households, are allowed to sit together at a restaurant.
Organized sports matches, like hockey, will be allowed to resume as of Monday, Feb. 14. Gyms and spas, as previously announced, will also be allowed to open on that date. Legault said that tournaments, however, will only be allowed to restart two weeks later, on Feb. 28.
As of Feb. 21, all retail businesses will be allowed to reopen at full capacity. Places of worship will remain at 50 per cent capacity, but with a maximum of 500 people.
As of Feb. 28, working from home will no longer be mandatory for those with jobs where that is possible. Large venues, like Montreal's Bell Centre, will be allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity.
Bars, which have been closed since Dec. 20, will also be allowed to reopen as of Feb. 28. They will have to operate at 50 per cent capacity, with last call for alcohol at midnight and a closing time of 1 a.m. Dancing and karaoke will remain banned until March 14.
Also on March 14, restaurants, bars and large venues like the Bell Centre and Videotron Centre will be allowed to operate at full capacity.
Health Minister Christian Dubé said there are no plans to lift mandatory mask mandates and the province's vaccine passport, but did not rule out repealing them on or after March 14.
Dubé did not provide a timeline for when the vaccine passport would require a third dose, as previously announced.
Legault said that 63 per cent of adults in the province have received a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Christopher Labos, a Montreal epidemiologist and cardiologist, said it makes sense for the government to ease restrictions now.
"As the situation improves, it is reasonable to loosen restrictions and to allow people to do more things, especially now that many people have gotten their third dose and have a good deal of protection against the virus," he said.
While Labos said he's optimistic about the future of the pandemic right now, he said he hopes the government is willing to shift gears if the situation changes on the ground.
"Learning to live with the virus doesn't mean ignoring the virus," he said. "We can learn to live with the virus, but still also monitor the situation and take appropriate steps when things seem to get better or get worse."
Benoit Barbeau, a virologist in the department of biological sciences at the Université du Québec à Montréal, agreed that it is time.
"People will hopefully continue getting the third dose. We have now antivirals which are available. But what is the most important element that will help us, I think, is that we're slowly going toward the spring," he said.
Barbeau said the situation is favourable for an easing of restrictions, and based on the experiences of the United Kingdom and South Africa, will likely continue to be favourable post-Omicron.
"I think that we were close to a tipping point, in terms of how much confidence the population has toward the government and how much how much they're ready to continue in maintaining and following those restrictions," he said.
"The government had to propose a way out."
Quebec Premier François Legault had one message for Quebecers Tuesday: it is time to learn to live with the virus.
"The population is fed up. I'm fed up. We're all fed up," he said. "But the reason we resisted [easing restrictions] until today was because there was too much risk."
"Right now, we can take a calculated risk and finally turn the page."
Legault announced that most of the province's restrictions will be lifted by mid-March, though mandatory mask mandates and the vaccine passport will remain — at least for now.
It's the latest in a series of reopening announcements, as the province steadily backs away from the mass shutdowns put in place in December due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Legault said that hospitalizations in the province have gone down by more than 1,000 patients in the last few weeks, giving the health network enough breathing room to now attempt a gradual reopening.
When asked if the recent convoy protest in Quebec City influenced his decision to reopen, Legault said it had not.
"But if they want to take credit and not come back in two weeks, I wouldn't be opposed to that," he said.
Home gatherings will no longer have any restrictions as of this Saturday, Feb. 12, though public health recommends having at most 10 people present, or three households.
"It will be up to each person to evaluate the risk," Legault said. "How many people am I with? How many got their third dose? How many are over 60 — what risk am I ready to take?"
In addition, restaurants will also be allowed to accommodate a maximum of 10 people per table as of Saturday. Currently, only four people, or two households, are allowed to sit together at a restaurant.
Organized sports matches, like hockey, will be allowed to resume as of Monday, Feb. 14. Gyms and spas, as previously announced, will also be allowed to open on that date. Legault said that tournaments, however, will only be allowed to restart two weeks later, on Feb. 28.
As of Feb. 21, all retail businesses will be allowed to reopen at full capacity. Places of worship will remain at 50 per cent capacity, but with a maximum of 500 people.
As of Feb. 28, working from home will no longer be mandatory for those with jobs where that is possible. Large venues, like Montreal's Bell Centre, will be allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity.
Bars, which have been closed since Dec. 20, will also be allowed to reopen as of Feb. 28. They will have to operate at 50 per cent capacity, with last call for alcohol at midnight and a closing time of 1 a.m. Dancing and karaoke will remain banned until March 14.
Also on March 14, restaurants, bars and large venues like the Bell Centre and Videotron Centre will be allowed to operate at full capacity.
Health Minister Christian Dubé said there are no plans to lift mandatory mask mandates and the province's vaccine passport, but did not rule out repealing them on or after March 14.
Dubé did not provide a timeline for when the vaccine passport would require a third dose, as previously announced.
Legault said that 63 per cent of adults in the province have received a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Christopher Labos, a Montreal epidemiologist and cardiologist, said it makes sense for the government to ease restrictions now.
"As the situation improves, it is reasonable to loosen restrictions and to allow people to do more things, especially now that many people have gotten their third dose and have a good deal of protection against the virus," he said.
While Labos said he's optimistic about the future of the pandemic right now, he said he hopes the government is willing to shift gears if the situation changes on the ground.
"Learning to live with the virus doesn't mean ignoring the virus," he said. "We can learn to live with the virus, but still also monitor the situation and take appropriate steps when things seem to get better or get worse."
Benoit Barbeau, a virologist in the department of biological sciences at the Université du Québec à Montréal, agreed that it is time.
"People will hopefully continue getting the third dose. We have now antivirals which are available. But what is the most important element that will help us, I think, is that we're slowly going toward the spring," he said.
Barbeau said the situation is favourable for an easing of restrictions, and based on the experiences of the United Kingdom and South Africa, will likely continue to be favourable post-Omicron.
"I think that we were close to a tipping point, in terms of how much confidence the population has toward the government and how much how much they're ready to continue in maintaining and following those restrictions," he said.
"The government had to propose a way out."
except for the discrimination mandates and masks. So theyre still a ways away. Dont let the msm headlines mislead us.
I hope it stays.
To remind ourselves how gullible we can be and how easily we can be manipulated.
OMG 3, count them 3 Premier's in one day have decided it's time to stop being little babies.
Ford will have no option but to announce something similar fast otherwise he will look like the mindless man he is
Ford will have no option but to announce something similar fast otherwise he will look like the mindless man he is
What a coincidence that the truckers were planing a protest on a weekend, just before these premiers were planning to announce the end of restrictions.
Prince Edward Island also outlined plans to end most measures early in April
Provinces to relax COVID-19 restrictions, say risk assessment lies with citizens
OMG, what are we going to now since the "experts" no longer want to control when and where we can piss eat and shit
He has no option but to make some announcement this week otherwise his political career will go down in flames...just like Kathleen Wynne did at the last election
Wynne sought another mandate in the 2018 provincial election, however, she conceded midway into the election and acknowledged her party would not form government again. The Liberals would lose official party status in the worst defeat of a governing party in Ontario history. Wynne subsequently resigned as Liberal leader on election night and was succeeded by Ottawa South MPP John Fraser as interim party leader. Wynne formally resigned as premier on June 29, 2018.
It's like a prosecutor is offering a deal to gang members and they are quickly taking the offer.
Don't want to be the last one.
Risk assessment, if on a crowded bus I will wear a mask, at a Leaf game with 16,000 fans I will wear a mask. Blue Jays game with roof open I won't wear a mask but in the concession stands getting food I will wear a mask. Outdoor dining I won't wear a mask. I will avoid indoor dining for a while. I hope by the summer the Feds will remove the testing requirements for vaccinated travelers returning to Canada. And finally, I will shed my vaccines on the anti-vaxers.
Good for you and your choices. The mask comes off and stays off for me once the mandate is lifted. The end of Clown World is near.
The plan is for March 14 but may be earlier depending on hospital and ICU numbers.
- lifting capacity limits in all public settings
- increase social gathering limits to 50 people indoors with no limits outdoors
- lifting remaining capacity limits on religious services, rites or ceremonies
- proof of vaccination will be maintained in existing settings in addition to other regular measures
