Alberta Moves to Stage 2 of Relaunch
On June 9, 2020, the Government of Alberta announced that the entire province will be proceeding with Stage 2 of the province’s three-stage relaunch strategy on Friday, June 12, 2020. Stage 2 was originally anticipated to launch on June 19, 2020.
Additionally, some businesses originally expected to resume operations under Stage 3 of the relaunch strategy are now able to resume earlier under Stage 2.
Alberta businesses eligible to reopen under the Stage 2 include:
- Kindergarten to Grade 12 schools with restrictions, including summer schools;
- More scheduled surgeries;
- Libraries and community halls;
- Team sports;
- Wellness and personal services, such as esthetics, tanning, massage, and reflexology;
- Movie theatres and live theatres; and
- Casinos, bingo halls, and VLTs in restaurants and lounges.
Further changes now contemplated under Stage 2 include:
- Indoor recreational, fitness, and sport facilities will now be able to re-open, when they were originally scheduled under Stage 3 of the relaunch;
- Group sizes for events and gatherings can be up to 100 people if outside, and up to 50 people if indoors, with public health guidelines in place;
- Restaurants, cafés, lounges, and bars are no longer required to operate at 50% capacity, but attending parties may be no larger than six people;
- Capacity limits are also lifted on worship gatherings, casinos, bingo halls, and provincial campgrounds; and
- Non-essential travel remains discouraged; however, employees are no longer encouraged to work remotely.
All businesses able to resume operations under the relaunch strategy remain subject to and responsible for complying with the Province’s guidelines, operations plans, and public health orders and legislation. The date of Stage 3 of the relaunch strategy remains yet to be announced and will be determined in response to the success of Stage 2.
For further information and a review of legal considerations relevant to employers who wish to resume operations, please see our articles “Return to Normal: How to Prepare for Resuming Business Operations” and “Alberta Proceeding with Stage One of Relaunch”.