Open Letter to Premier Jason Kenney
January 26, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Red Deer – Mountain View, AB
On January 18, 2021 Dr. Hinshaw said the province eased restrictions (personal services businesses) based on data showing which industries would be safest to reopen without increasing the spread of the virus.
“What we’ve seen is that the number of cases attributed to those environments – restaurants, fitness being the two you specified – are higher than the activities that we have eased open this week.” Hinshaw said. On January 20, 2021 she said the province was working to release the data “in the coming weeks.”
According to Air Canada’s website, “while on board, customers are further required to wear their face covering at all times except to eat and drink or, in case of an in-flight emergency should the oxygen masks be deployed, or when, in the judgement of the crew, appropriate physical distancing can be maintained.”
Given Air Canada’s guidelines pertaining to masks, distancing and meals, shouldn’t Alberta restaurant owners be able to operate under the same set of guidelines and expect similar results?
Referring to fitness facilities, some City of Winnipeg employee gyms have remained open during this province’s lockdown. “Provincial health officials advised us that these facilities, used exclusively by City employees, could remain open. These facilities have guidelines in place to help maintain our employees’ health and safety,” a spokesperson for the city said. “Among them, users are required to respect posted capacity limits and follow physical distancing guidelines of staying two metres/six feet apart.”
A sampling of 2,873 fitness facilities in the US and completed by the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), reported 1,155 cases on 49.4 million member check-ins.
Given the results of the IHRSA report and the comments from officials in Winnipeg, shouldn’t Alberta fitness facilities be able to operate under the same set of guidelines and expect similar results?
Sincerely,
Jared Pilon
Candidate for Red Deer – Mountain View, AB