Alberta to lift remaining COVID-19 restrictions

The last remaining COVID-19 public health restrictions in Alberta are coming to end.

As of 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, the Alberta government will lift the province's remaining COVID-19 restrictions, meaning mandatory masking on public transit will come to an end, as willmandatory isolation.

"We need to live with COVID-19 while accepting that it will continue to be present. We'll continue to work to keep Albertans safe by ensuring access to vaccines, antivirals and rapid tests, through ongoing COVID-19 surveillanceand by enhancing health-care system capacity," Health Minister Jason Copping said in a statement Monday.

Though not required, isolation will remain recommended for those who have COVIDsymptoms or a positivetest result.

Other provinces like Saskatchewan and Manitoba have already lifted self-isolation requirements.

The province will still keep some health measures in health-care settings, such as masking. Alberta Health Services confirmed that masking will still be requiredat all acute care, continuing care and community locations, including immunization and lab collection sites.

The chief medical officer of health order affecting continuing care is expected to be liftedby June 30, the province said in a news release. Some measures in continuing care settings will remain in place through standards and policy, such asisolation of symptomatic residents, outbreak protocols and masking.

The decision to lift restrictions was not mentioned at the province's most recent COVID-19 news conferenceon Thursday, when Copping stated the BA.2 Omicron surge the sixth wave of COVID in Alberta was over.

The government's news release notes the province has seen declining rates of COVID hospitalizations,PCR test positivity and levels from wastewater surveillance.

"Learning to live with COVID-19 does not mean forgetting about it," Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said Monday in a news release.

"As we bring COVID-19 management in line with other respiratory diseases, it will continue to be vital that we receive our primary vaccine series and any additional booster doses we are eligible for, and continue good habits like washing our hands regularly and avoiding being around others if we feel sick."