Easing of Restrictions Monday!

Feb. 06, 2021

Hockey Edmonton has swung into high gear to get our players back on the ice quickly and safely next week following the Government of Alberta announcement today (release below). The province announced a modification to its health measures allowing for a maximum of ten people on the ice indoors; players must be physically distanced and coaches must be masked (players must be masked when not engaged in the physical activity). The new rules take effect Monday.

We have been in contact with officials at the City of Edmonton, seeking to re-open arenas as soon as possible. We are fortunate to have a great relationship with our partners at the City and we will work together to quickly get our players back on the ice. We are also looking to secure additional ice times at privately run facilities.

At the same time, we are gathering input from our member organizations to confirm their ice requests. We may not have as much ice as needed in order to accommodate everyone’s needs but we will do everything within our power to try and fulfill the requests.

We are all excited by the prospect of seeing our kids back out playing the game they love. We will need to do things differently, of course, in order to ensure everyone's safety.

We thank you for your patience and perseverance during this challenging season.

Steve

Steve Hogle

Hockey Edmonton

alberta.news@gov.ab.ca

Limited school and team sports allowed as of Feb. 8

February 06, 2021

Limited school and minor sport training will be allowed under Step 1 of Alberta’s four-step framework to carefully ease restrictions as pressure on the health system declines.

Starting Feb. 8, children and youth will be allowed to participate in lessons, practices and conditioning activities for indoor and outdoor team-based minor sports and athletics. All games continue to be prohibited.

“Alberta’s government is committed to supporting the health and well-being of children and youth provincewide. 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.”

Tyler Shandro, Minister of Health

“Despite this small change, one thing remains the same: we all need to be cautious and make safe choices 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.”

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer of health

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.

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.

Indoor masking and distancing requirements will remain in place throughout this stepped approach, and some degree of restrictions will still apply to all activities within each step.

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.

Metrics based on cases and growth, including COVID-19 variants, are being monitored and will also be used to guide any decisions around the need to pause further steps or potentially increase restrictions.

Alberta’s government is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by protecting lives and livelihoods with precise measures to bend the curve, sustain small businesses and protect Alberta’s health-care system.