COVID cases in Alberta have risen every day since early April, prompting some Albertans to ask the government to tighten restrictions to curb the spread. Many other Albertans, however, want quite the opposite, saying further restricting Albertans will do more harm than good, especially to local businesses and the community members who own them. 

Other provinces in the country, such as Ontario and British Columbia, have implemented stricter health measures that have sparked some controversy from residents. The restrictions in both provinces include stay-at-home orders enforced by fines from officers who can, if they want, stop a vehicle to ask them where they're going during the stay-at-home orders. 

Jason Kenney commented on BC's current stay-at-home orders and ban on inter-provincial travel, saying he respects the right for provinces to implement their own measures in a way they feel necessary. 

"We don't plan on taking any additional measures at this point but we do encourage people to limit all non-essential travel at this time. We are going to monitor numbers very closely for the next week or so because it will take time to see results from restrictions. What we're watching for right now is the increase of cases that may have come from Easter. We're still very concerned about numbers still." 

Kenney notes the situations in both Ontario and BC are "very real" and Kenney urges Albertans to follow health guidelines to ensure what happens in those provinces does not happen in Alberta. 

"It's a very dynamic moment in the pandemic because you have the new daily case numbers versus the protection from the vaccine. Luckily, the weather is turning in our favor to get people outside more." 

When it comes to vaccines, Kenney tells Albertans that the AstraZeneca vaccine, now available to any Albertan over the age of 40, is "absolutely safe" and notes "The of getting a blood clot from having COVID-19 far outweigh the odds of getting a blood clot from the vaccine." 

According to Kenney, as of right now, over 82% of Albertans over the age of 75 have been vaccinated and urges anyone to reach out to those over 75 who haven't been vaccinated to encourage them to get the shot. Approximately 73% of Albertans between the ages of 65 and 74 as well as 50% of Albertans between the ages of 60 and 64 have at least one dose of the vaccine. 

Kenney says the government's promise to have every adult Albertan able to book a vaccine appointment by June 30 still stands.