There appears to a glimmer of light at the end of the nearly year-long COVID-19 tunnel in Alberta.
However, it is the smallest glimmer of light and extreme caution is needed before heading down this tunnel.
Further optimism was brought forward when the Province announced last week it will begin taking reservations for all individuals born in 1946 or before for the COVID-19 vaccine -- and those individuals may be getting their first shots in the near future.
As well, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta chief medical officer of health, announced on Feb. 22 there were now 324 people in hospital due to COVID-19, well below the threshold of 450 to kick in Step 2 of the Path Forward plan that would ease restrictions at fit- ness centres, hospitality services, more retail and other important businesses in the province and the Okotoks area.
Hinshaw has wisely decided to wait the full three weeks before announcing the next step. While hospital numbers are down, the number of new cases have gone up over the past days.
A further concern is the increase of the new cases of COVID-19 variants in the prov- ince.
Those more transmittable variants could mean an increase of COVID cases -- forcing the Province to potentially enforce further business restrictions.
Hinshaw has stated businesses could possibly open as early as March 1, after earlier stating March 8 was a more likely scenario.
Sure, it’s a delay for those individuals desperately wanting to return to their businesses and livelihoods, but the wait is a necessary evil.
Worse, would be to open and then be forced to close again as has happened previously for business- ness owners and workers.
What is needed in the next announcement is greater assurance of stability and confidence in the future.
There’s still a ways to go.
Afterall, any trip in a dark tunnel should be taken with caution.
