Ottawa: A Canadian province on Tuesday decided to start phasing out Covid-19 restrictive measures, local media reported.
Jason Kenney, premier of the western Canadian province of Alberta, announced the province’s vaccine passport will end at midnight Tuesday, with most other Covid health rules cancelled in three weeks.
Strong vaccination rates, declining hospital cases and a continued reduction in the spread of Omicron make it possible to end the passport, Kenney told a news conference. “Our approach to Covid must change as the disease changes.”
Starting from February 14, mandatory mask rules will be cancelled for children aged under 12 in all settings and for all children in schools.
All indoor masking rules will be removed by March 1 as planned, as well as the requirements of capacity limits on large venues, mandatory work from home and social gathering limits, according to local news outlets.
These decisions came right after Saskatchewan became the first Canadian province to phase out anti-Covid rules.
Earlier in the day, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced that starting from February 14, his province will no longer require Covid vaccine passports, and it is also ending the indoor mask mandate at the end of the month.
Several Canadian provinces, including Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec, are expected to follow suit in the coming days.
