Alberta to ease restrictions on restaurants and gyms, set target for relaxing retail capacity limits
January 29, 2021Alberta sets target for relaxing retail capacity limits and announces reduced restrictions for restaurants and gyms
The Alberta government has announced, as part of a path forward plan, that they will be lifting some additional public health restrictions, including allowing restaurants to reopen in-person dining at restricted capacity and gyms to reopen partially. Changes will be effective as of Monday, February 8, 2021.
Alberta’s Path Forward plan outlines the sectors that will see gradual restriction changes at each of four stages, based on hospitalization benchmarks. With hospitalizations now below 600, step one of the gradual relaxation of restrictions will begin.
Restaurants, pubs and cafes can open for in-person service:
Rules include a maximum of 6 people per table and individuals must be from the same household or between 2 close contacts for people living alone. Contact information must be collected from one person of the dining party and liquor service ends at 10 pm where applicable.
Indoor fitness:
While group or team sports remain prohibited, indoor one-on-one training will be permitted as of February 8, 2021, as long as safety requirements are adhered to.
Future changes to retail:
The plan includes relaxing of retail capacity restrictions as part of the next phase, once hospitalizations fall below 450. The expectation is that this phase will be at least three weeks away, as part of a spaced-out staged relaxation plan.
For now, retailers across Alberta for now must continue to maintain their current 15 percent capacity limit. For more information, contact John Graham, Director of Government Relations (Prairie Region), at jgraham@retailcouncil.org
