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Alberta Proves it's Safe to Reopen

On July 1 the government of Alberta dropped almost all of it's mandatory covid-19 restrictions. The province started "phase 1" of it's reopening plan on June 1, met it's vaccination and hospitalization goals soon after, and was able to fully reopen just in time for Canada Day.

The lockdown lobby predicted total disaster and ruination, but weeks later none of their prophesies have come to pass. Covid-19 cases are down. Hospitalizations are down. ICU admissions are down. Deaths are down. Alberta is doing what the pundits said was impossible: wiping out covid-19 with a fully open economy and society.

Alberta is not alone either. Saskatchewan recently followed suit, dropping all mandatory restrictions on July 11. British Columbia is also mostly open, with only some capacity restrictions for large venues remaining. The trio of provinces didn't reach this point through some mysterious Western-Canadian magic. Their success is the direct result of vaccines.

Vaccines are driving down covid-19 cases and deaths across the country, but most provinces are stuck in the past, still cowering in fear of another "wave." Here in the present, Alberta and Saskatchewan have the lowest vaccination rates in the country, at 73% and 72% of eligible residents respectively. The Canadian average is 78%. If Alberta and Saskatchewan can reopen safely, every other province can too.