Thread by @KevinCTV

We're about 45 minutes away from Premier Jason Kenney's primetime announcement. I'll be tweeting the highlights. Follow along!

calgary.ctvnews.ca/alberta-expect…

Premier Kenney is up now. The government is renewing its State of Public Health Emergency. He said we could run out of staff at ICU beds in 10 days.

“This is a crisis of the unvaccinated,” Kenney says. He is admitting for the first time that COVID is hitting Alberta harder than any other province because of our relatively poor vaccination rate.

Kenney says he had committed to not introducing a vaccine passport because of concerns over privacy, but he says his number one priority is saving lives. “this is truly a life or death matter,” he says.

He is announcing a vaccine passport style program, but details are sparse. He says no one will be “compelled” to get vaccinated.

Kenney is asking Albertans to “show patience” for people who have different views than them on vaccination.

STARTING TOMORROW:

- physical distancing required in public spaces
- unvaccinated people (12+) will not be able to attend any indoor events.
- places of worship restricted to 1/3 of venue’s capacity.

Masking in schools is now mandatory. Masks won’t be required during physical education classes.

There is now a mandatory work from home order, unless an employer has determined physical presence is necessary.

Indoor dining at pubs and restaurants is now banned.

There is a province-wide restriction exemption program (otherwise known as a vaccine passport):

Starting Sept. 20, vaccine-eligible individuals will be required to provide proof of immunization or a negative privately paid COVID-19 test from within the previous 72 hours.

Businesses won't be forced to adopt the vaccine passport program.

Businesses that implement the Restrictions Exemption Program would operate as usual

For those wondering: I don't know why the government announced all the restrictions, and then later announced the vaccine passport program to nullify the restrictions.

Shandro on MyHealth Records: significant improvements are being made "as we speak".

NEW: the vaccine proof card won't be available until Sunday morning.

He is apologizing for the system's problems.

Shandro says the QR code for vaccine proof is coming "in the coming weeks." No set timeline

Dr. Hinshaw and Premier Kenney have both apologized today for moving too quickly to Alberta's "open for summer" plan.

"No single sector or area of our society is driving this wave alone," Dr. Hinshaw says.

So far nothing in the way of the political news some predicted we might see during this news conference.

"Kindness has never mattered more," Dr. Hinshaw says.

AHS President Dr. Verna Yiu says staff are being trained on AHS' triage protocol, which is an absolute last resort.

Q from @ByJamesKeller: will there be any more accountability or resignations given the government's mishandling of the fourth wave?

Kenney won't answer the question directly. He says Alberta has done really well throughout the pandemic.

Follow-up: why is Alberta always waiting until the last minute to act?

Kenney says Alberta has tried to maintain a "balanced perspectives of all of the risks of this pandemic."

Q from @StaySaif: Dr. Hinshaw, will you leave your role?

A: no. "All I can do is my best to serve, and I do that every day."

Follow up: will these restrictions stay in place until the pandemic is over?

Kenney he doesn't know. He says COVID is unpredictable.

He says at some point "the virus will run out of people to infect."

Q from @sunrickbell: to what degree is what has happened between July 1 and now a reflection on your leadership?

A: Kenney says he was wrong to move Alberta to an endemic approach. But, he says he was right to relax public health measures in the summer.

"I won't apologize"

"I said a lot of optimistic things in the summer, because I think it is the job of a leader to portray a sense of hope and optimism," Kenney says.

Follow up: to what degree has your leadership failed?

A: "I don't think this is about me," Kenney says.

Q from @tylerrdawson: what’s the purpose of limits on social gatherings for vaccinated people?

A: Shandro says the government is trying to limit COVID spread, even amongst the vaccinated.

Follow up: what do you say to people who will be angry about this announcement?

A: Kenney says he hopes the reality of what’s happening in hospitals will push some people to rethink their opposition.

Q from @Jantafrench: you said on Facebook weeks ago you would take any measure on the table to fight the fourth wave. What took so long?

Kenney says his government has been working constantly.