N.S. COVID experts question Alberta's race toward normality

Two Nova Scotians who work in epidemiology and infectious disease say they're concerned about Alberta's move toward eliminating COVID-19 public health measures, but say it doesn't make sense for Nova Scotia to implement further restrictions on travellers coming from that province.

"The cases will go up. The number of people getting sick will go up," Dr. Lisa Barrett, an infectious disease researcher and clinician at Dalhousie University, said of the potential impact of the changes on Alberta.

"That does concern me because it feels like at a policy level, people are just tired and they're making decisions that used to be science-based and … they just are reversing things without really considering that a little bit more information and a little bit more time over the next six months would be a far better, informed way of doing this."

On Wednesday, Alberta announced it will significantly loosen COVID-19 safety measures over the next two and a half weeks.

Starting today, contact tracers are not notifying close contacts of people who test positive, quarantining for close contacts is recommended rather than mandatory and asymptomatic testing of close contacts is no longer recommended.

Starting Aug. 16, people in Alberta who test positive will not be required to isolate and mask mandates will be lifted. On Aug. 31, COVID-19 testing will no longer be available at assessment centres, but will be available in hospitals and in primary care settings such as doctor's offices.

Barrett said measures such as masking and testing are "easy things" that don't prevent people from socializing.

"Why would we get rid of those right now? I'm at a loss to understand why we have to treat this like business as normal until we know that business should be normal. I don't feel reassured about that yet."

Despite that, Barrett said it doesn't make sense for Nova Scotia to place further restrictions on those entering the province from Alberta.

"I don't think it's a province-specific thing that I advocate for," she said. "I'm saying I think it's too early for us to roll back in any province yet."

Barrett said despite increasing vaccination rates across Canada, there are many vulnerable people — both vaccinated and unvaccinated — who are still at risk.

"Basically, by going with this plan right now, we're accepting that those people, those most vulnerable, are going to be put at higher risk for getting the infection," she said. "Vulnerable people shouldn't have to pick up the slack when we have tools to prevent it. That's silliness."

Nova Scotia has a track record of being prudent with COVID-19 measures, Barrett said, and she hopes those measures will be reintroduced "early and fast" if there's a threat from Alberta or elsewhere.

Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, was not available for an interview on Thursday about whether the province was considering new restrictions for those travelling from Alberta.

Nova Scotia has many rotational workers who travel between Alberta and Nova Scotia, as well as family members in Nova Scotia who travel to Alberta for visits.

'We're going to be dealing with outbreaks'

Kevin Wilson, an epidemiologist working in clinical data management and analysis, said Alberta's sweeping changes are "at the absolute extreme end" of the speed of transition toward normality.

"What you're seeing is Alberta just not doing infection control anymore at even a basic level."

Like Barrett, he said cracking down on visitors to Nova Scotia from Alberta isn't necessarily the answer.

"I don't think it's really an Alberta-specific problem," said Wilson. "It's Alberta, but then the next time it's B.C. or Quebec or P.E.I., or, you know, wherever else.... I think in the long run, we're going to be dealing with outbreaks."

Rather than placing restrictions such as isolation requirements for people from certain provinces, Wilson simply wants to see Nova Scotia come up with a plan for handling future outbreaks — no matter where the source — once reopening is complete.

"Once they get to the end, is there a mechanism for them to take a step back?"

In a news release Wednesday, the Alberta government said the changes will bring its COVID-19 measures in line with those used for influenza and other viruses, and noted that its vaccine rates will help reduce the risk of infection and severe outcomes.

About 64 per cent of Albertans have received one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and almost 55 per cent are fully vaccinated. Those vaccination rates are lower than Nova Scotia's, where nearly 76 per cent of the population has one dose and 61 per cent have two doses.