Thread by @Tommy_Slick

I am dialed in and waiting for the start of today's COVID-19 press conference, which may or may not include Premier Kenney and an announcement about loosened restrictions. Still no notification from the government, though. Follow this thread for details and listen @660NEWS #ableg

We are now ten minutes behind schedule. For reference, when it is only Dr. Hinshaw at the press conference it usually starts at 3:30 on the dot.

It has started apparently but the phone has not opened up. This is extremely frustrating.

Kenney is talking now, it is live on Youtube. Talking about the impact on the economy. Kenney says there is a path forward to relax restrictions. "This must be done carefully (and) slowly." And it will be driven by data.

Kenney says if there is another surge of cases, and the variants take hold, then there will be stronger restrictions once again.

This will all be re-evaluated in three weeks. If cases are going down, there will be further loosening of restrictions.

Kenney says today are "early steps", with schools opened, small outdoor gatherings, and some services operating once more.

This is the next step.

Kenney says they won't do this immediately and they must be careful, to fully assess the impact on the stages of reopening. Says there should not be a "yo-yo effect" of closing and reopening again and again

This is what would be next if cases still fall.

With 300 hospitalizations, this is the scenario.

At 150 hospitalizations, the situation would look similar as last summer.

Meanwhile, the province will continue to look at other important indicators.

Kenney thanks businesses for their continued efforts and patience. Will also hear from the province in coming days about more supports for them. Also expanded eligibility of a relaunch grant.

Significant progress has been made, Kenney says. With further downward movement of cases, the path forward is more clear. But stresses we cannot ease up on precautions. "We are not through the end of this yet."

Due to limited vaccine supplies, it will be much later this year until we see a really significant improvement. He says in some respects we must be more cautious. Hopes people do not see this announcement as encouragement to start hanging out with more people.

We now go to Dr. Hinshaw for her official update. 543 new cases in past 24 hours, with 11,600 tests. Positivity rate of 4.5 per cent. Outbreaks in 291 schools. 14 new deaths in the past 24 hours. 12 more cases of variant COVID-19, 37 total b/twn UK and South Africa variants.

But no evidence of further spread in the community. Some of these cases were linked to just a single location.

The reporter phone line has still not opened up. I do not know if there will be questions today because of this.

We will now hear from Health Minister Tyler Shandro. Says there have been over 104,000 vaccines administered, 14,000 fully immunized (two doses). Using Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Shandro now talking about the reduced shipments of vaccines. He says the country and the province are "not a priority."

AB was expected 24,600 doses in the next week. 5,800 fewer now, though.

Sorry, as an aside, the reporter phone line is now playing British Columbia's COVID-19 press conference. I have no idea what is happening.

Back to ALBERTA'S press conference. Shandro says they are calling for more action to fix the vaccine problem. Says the federal government is only providing excuses, they need a more national strategy.

Shandro says they cannot say who is next in line for vaccines due to these shortages. He says they will be giving as many doses as possible, regardless of if the vial says five or six doses or whatever needle is needed.

They're now opening it up to questions. What the hell. I am connected to BC's press conference. Something messed up, or this was intentional. I cannot believe this.

To be clear, I dialed the number provided by the province and gave them the proper passcode. Nevertheless I am connected to BC, and watching this press conference on Youtube instead.

Moving on to the questions here, sorry about my aside here. In response to why these loosened restrictions now, Kenney says there have been a lot of different pressures on them. Mental health issues also are a significant concern here.

Kenney is advising people that they must still be sticking to their cohorts as well, still need to limit their contact with others. Hinshaw reiterates this statement as well. Even with opened restaurants at the end of next week, remember we have many restrictions still in place.

Next question, there's a growing movement from people willingly defying restrictions, will you act on these people?

Kenney says they need to work with people on compliance and enforcement is a last resort. When people are defying the rules, they are insulting health care staff

Kenney says these people can end up causing more strict restrictions. "This is not a joke," he says. He understands why people may be frustrated about this.

Kenney is being forceful about people defying the rules. Reminder that for the past week or so, there have been a lot of owners in particularly rural areas defying the rules. And in a week, all restaurants will be reopening.

Hinshaw says the actions of a minority should not dictate what the majority does. It is in everyone's best interest to have the gradual reopening.

Kenney, speaking to people defying the rules, says the deaths of Albertans is directly related to the spread in the community.

We now hear from Rick Bell. How much of the decision is in response to frustration over restrictions, like those people I mentioned earlier.

Kenney says they are only making these decisions based on the best information they have, not politics.

Citing a poll, Kenney says there's a split between people who think the restrictions are too much, just right, or too little. (80% either think just right or too little)

Question from @JWongGlobalNews, is there data showing lower transmission risk for physical activity and stuff like that?

Kenney says there is a "growing body of global research" on these risks. On indoor dining, he stresses it is not business as usual.

Dr. Hinshaw responds to this as well, looking at British Columbia, there has been success in controlling spread with a more staged approach to this. Only opening pieces of a sector that have the lowest apparent risk.

Next question from CBC (sorry didn't catch the reporter). How did the variant factor into these decisions and what's your confidence that it can be contained?

Hinshaw says there's a key component here, that there will always be three weeks of observation between stages.

To prevent it from becoming dominant, there has to be constant evaluation. Higher risk when people step away from the restrictions. Do want to make forward momentum, but there's always the chance to roll it back.

Kenney says the possibility of the variant spreading is a "downside risk", but the vaccine will hopefully help a bit more. Contact tracing has also been expanded, can do over a 1,000 investigations per day.

Now @CBCRaffy, you can't make plans for vaccines you don't have so whose shots will be delayed with the limited supplies right now. Kenney defers to Shandro.

He says they're still processing the Moderna news. So they are still trying to evaluate all of this.

Hinshaw says they are focusing on risk outcomes to determine who is most in need. Always focusing on those at highest risk.

Kenney jumps in again, mentions "disturbing" reports of export restrictions in the EU. This could cause more delays, calls on feds to demand more.

Kenney calls this "vaccine nationalism" in the EU. Part of the issue is a lack of in-house production in Canada. He doesn't understand why the feds did not press harder for licensing more Canadian producers. Says it is another risk factor.

Last question from @audreyneva. Wants him to repeat a response about people not following restrictions, but in French. That will be all folks. Again, I did not have a chance to ask a question because somehow I got incorrectly connected to the BC press conference.