The province announced a new plan to have the majority of restrictions lifted by the middle of the summer. 

Premier Jason Kenney announced details of the plan Wednesday morning saying the "Stop The Spike" measures along with high vaccination rates have allowed them to outline a path forward to re-opening. 

Kenney anticipates the first phase of the plan could come into effect on June 1, with the first two stages using hospitalizations and vaccinations as benchmarks. 

"We now have a clear plan to lift all public health restrictions and get back to normal. So long as Albertans continue to get vaccinated in strong numbers, Alberta will be fully open and back to normal for a truly great Alberta summer." 

As part of stage 1, outdoor events like weddings, recreation and youth sports will be allowed with no more than 10 people. Capacity for places of worship will also expand to 15 per cent of fire code capacity, which was the limit they had before the latest round of restrictions were introduced. 

However, indoor social gatherings will still be banned. 

infographic of open for summer plan

If vaccinations hit 60 per cent and hospitalizations stay under 500 by the middle of June, the province will move to stage 2 of reopening which allows outdoor gatherings of 20 people, indoor youth activities with no restrictions and the lifting of the work from home order. 

Stage three, expected to come by early July could see a complete lifting of restrictions with the exception of isolation requirements for those who test positive for COVID-19. 

"Our Open for Summer Plan is a responsible plan to get back to normal while at the same time protecting our healthcare system," said Health Minister Tyler Shandro. "We will end this pandemic the same way we started it, by ensuring we have world-class health care available to every Albertan who needs it." 

Kenney and Shandro stressed the new re-opening plans can only take place if Albertans continue to get vaccinated. 

The government also announced an expansion of the Small and Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant to provide support for businesses affected by the recent health measures. 

Eligible organizations could receive a payment of up to $10,000, which follows the previous intake that provided up to $20,000.