| Edmontonians may have greater peace of mind when participating in or accessing City of Edmonton programs and services after the City decided today to adopt the Government of Alberta’s restriction exemption program. Anyone using a public City facility or service will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative test result. The Alberta Government announced that effective December 24, 2021, the following updates to the Restriction Exemption Program for indoor recreation facilities would take effect: Indoor entertainment, event and recreation facilities (Effective Dec 24 at 12:01am) Accordingly, the following arenas have a capacity of over 500 and are impacted by this food & drink restriction:
We recognize that since these restrictions are based on capacity, and not actual attendance, that there may be some confusion as to why food and drink is permitted in the bleachers for some rinks but not others. We will continue to monitor the ongoing COVID-19 situation and may need to introduce further measures if necessary to ensure the safety of all patrons and to strive to keep facilities open. To access public City services and programs, people ages 12 and older must provide proof of vaccination or documentation of a medical exemption or show proof of a negative test result. · After October 25: proof of double vaccination is required. · Tests must be privately-paid COVID-19 PCR or rapid tests completed within 72 hours before accessing a program or service. · Tests must not be from Alberta Health Services or Alberta Precision Laboratories. Edmontonians should plan to arrive at facilities a little earlier than normal. We ask for patience as City employees review patrons’ individual vaccination status or recent negative test results. More information will be available on edmonton.ca when the provincial public health orders are published and if there are any further clarifications made to these rules by the Government of Alberta in the coming days. Within Edmonton city limits, masks or face coverings are mandatory in all indoor public places and public vehicles as per the Temporary Mandatory Face Covering bylaw. This applies to businesses, workplaces, retail shops, City of Edmonton facilities, and includes public transit vehicles, enclosed transit centres and LRT platforms. | 
