Thread by @RachelNotley

Today, one in three Albertans you meet are not fully vaccinated. And this number is higher depending on where you live.

This is concerning.

1/15 #ableg #abhealth

And yet the government is removing the tools that our frontline health care providers, and all Albertans, rely on to keep themselves informed of COVID in our communities.

2/15 #ableg #abhealth

Now, it appears that rising hospital admissions will be our only concrete signal that things are getting out of hand. 

Hospitals that are more stretched than ever before will now be asked to serve as the last line of defence in emergency surveillance. 3/15 #ableg #abhealth

If cases continue to rise at this rate we just won’t know. 4/15 #ableg #abhealth

So today, I am calling for the reversal of the decision to end mandatory isolation for Albertans who test positive and their close contacts as well as the decision to no longer trace and notify close contacts, and provide Albertans the opportunity to get tested.
5/15 #ableg

I DO believe that if we are going to learn to live with COVID-19 Albertans still deserve to know where it is… and if they have been exposed to it.

This is especially true for those who have not received their double dose of vaccine. 

6/15 #ableg #abhealth

And I am also thinking of those Albertans who are immunocompromised or high-risk and those Albertans who would simply prefer to know, if only for their own mental health.

7/15 #ableg #abhealth

Here’s the bottom line:

This isn’t fair to Albertans. 

It’s not fair for them to be exposed and not be notified. Full-stop.

It’s also reasonable to keep asking Albertans who are infected to stay home until they are no longer contagious.

8/15 #ableg #abhealth

It’s simply baffling that we would just stop these efforts to track the virus and prevent infection.

It’s just too soon.

9/15 #ableg #abhealth

I also reiterate my concern for students returning to class this fall.

We have no commitment from this government to proceed with an in-school vaccination program.

10/15 #ableg #abhealth

Paired with the removal of these protocols, this raises even MORE questions about what back to school will look like.

11/15 #ableg #abhealth

It appears that children could pass the Delta variant and parents would be none the wiser. 

We need an in-school program and it is frankly shocking that we’re four weeks away with no commitment.

12/15 #ableg #abhealth

We are already in a position where no freedoms are being removed and there are no barriers to the economy.

13/15 #ableg #abhealth

So this is about asking the government to keep doing the bare minimum: 

Track the virus, tell people if they're exposed, ensure they don’t spread it in their communities and protect our health care system from being overwhelmed.

14/15 #ableg #abhealth

I believe when it comes to removing these protocols, the risks far outweigh the rewards, for families, and for communities.

15/15 #AbLeg #abhealth