Limited school and minor sport training will be allowed under Step 1 of the provincial government’s four-step framework to ease COVID-19 restrictions.
Starting Monday, children and youth will be allowed to participate in lessons, practices and conditioning activities for indoor and outdoor team-based minor sports and athletics, the Government of Alberta said in a press release Saturday.
All games continue to be prohibited.
“While these activities are included in Step 1, there are strong measures in place that must continue to be followed. Let’s all continue doing our part to limit the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health system that every Albertan relies on,” said Minister of Health Tyler Shandro.
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While limited indoor and outdoor activities for school and minor sports are allowed, strong public health measures remain in place:
- All participants must be 18 years old or younger, excluding coaches or trainers;
- A maximum of 10 individuals, including all coaches, trainers and participants, can participate;
- All participants must maintain physical distancing from each other at all times;
- Participants must be masked at all times, except when engaged in the physical activity;
- Coaches and trainers must remain masked at all times;
- There must be limited access to change rooms, including for accelerated arrival and departure, for emergencies and for washroom use.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer of health, said despite this change, Albertans need to remain cautious to limit the spread of COVID-19.
“It is vital that everyone involved diligently follows the health measures as we move forward. Together, we can continue to reduce the spread and keep protecting our heath system,” said Hinshaw.
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All other previously announced measures set to ease in Step 1 will also be permitted starting on Feb. 8 as part of Alberta’s four-step path forward.
A decision on Step 2 will be made if, after three weeks, there are 450 or fewer hospitalizations and the number is declining. The same re-evaluation period will be used for all subsequent steps.
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