'Now is not the time': Alberta doctors offer perspectives on when to lift COVID-19 restrictions
CTV
As Alberta is poised to relax some public health restrictions, some doctors are urging the province not to move too fast toward
As Alberta is poised to relax some pandemic restrictions, some doctors are urging the province not to remove measures prematurely
In a Facebook Live session on Thursday, Premier Jason Kenney said that Albertans can expect to see an announcement this week that will scrap some restrictions, with more than 20 members of the United Conservative Party Caucus calling for an end to the Restrictions Exemption Program (REP).
"These mandates may have served a purpose earlier in the pandemic," said Speaker Nathan Cooper in a Thursday Facebook post. "They were brought in on the advice of medical professionals in an effort to limit spread of the virus and prevent stress on the healthcare system.
"However, two years on, we can now see that the Restrictions Exemption Program is having limited continued effect, and I stand with my constituents in calling on the premier, health minister, and the government caucus to lift the public health restrictions," he added.
Two Edmonton doctors aren't convinced that ending the vaccine passport program at this point the pandemic is the right move.
Dr. Noel Gibney, University of Alberta professor emeritus in the department of critical care medicine, said that while cases are trending down, hospitalizations remain high.
"We have the highest amount of patients in hospital with COVID since the pandemic first started, and we are having 100 people die every week in the province from COVID," Gibney told CTV News.
