Alberta to backtrack on plans to lift COVID-19 restrictions, government source says
Alberta is rolling back on plans to end mandatory isolation for those who test positive for COVID-19, a government source told CBC News, as cases in the province hit their highest level since late May.
The province was due to end most COVID-19 restrictions on Aug. 16, including requirements to wear masks on public transit and in schools as well as strict protocols around testing and contact tracing. But the province's current health guidelines will remain in place for now, the source said.
Plans to move COVID-19 testing from provincial assessment centres to physicians' clinics as of Aug. 31 are still on track, the source said.
Alberta public health officials
reported 550 net new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, the second day in a row that the daily case count surpassed the 500 mark.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer of health, is expected to announce the latest changes to plans during a news conference on Friday, according to the source.