Officials in Alberta have announced renewed lockdown restrictions as COVID cases continue to rise in a growing third wave. Numbers there are the highest in North America this week.

Premier Jason Kenney laid out the new measures, including ordering all virtual learning, closing personal care businesses, allowing for takeout only from restaurants, capping the number of attendees at funerals and religious services, limiting outdoor gatherings to five people and mandating that workplaces with positive cases close for 10 days.

The measures come less than a month after Ontario announced a new round of stringent lockdown measures to quell a rising third wave of COVID, though vaccination distribution is quickening there. The Canada-U.S. border will also be closed until at least May 21.

As some Albertans defied the measures and attended a rodeo and anti-closure rallies last weekend, Premier Kenney doubled the fine for flouting health restrictions to $2,000.

“If you can stay home, stay home, at least over the next three weeks,” Kenney said during a press conference on May 4. “I know all of this is discouraging to hear. Nobody wants to be here, especially after 14 months of multiple waves of this pandemic. But our commitment to the health and safety of Albertans must come first.”

He added that compliance with health measures will help keep hospitalizations low, which will avoid postponement and cancellations of critical surgeries and other essential care. “We have to stop the spike right now,” he said.

Meanwhile, the province has announced that all Albertans 30 years and older can sign up for their shot on May 6, and 12 years or older on May 10. Health Canada confirms the country is the first to approve the Pfizer vaccine for adolescents between 12 and 15 years old, and Alberta is the first province to begin distributing vaccinations to the younger age group.

Alberta is the first province to offer vaccines to everybody over the age of 12. This is great news for all Albertans and I hope everybody eligible books their shot as soon as they can.

We’ve all got to do our part to #StopTheSpike and vaccines are our best way to do that. pic.twitter.com/7rbhoSzinI

— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) May 5, 2021

This comes just a day after officials announced the province’s first death linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine. In neighboring British Columbia, new case counts and hospitalization rates have begun to fall as the government prepares for an aggressive campaign to make sure people follow through with their second vaccine doses in order to contain spread.

The ongoing uncertainty has hit business hard across Canada, including promo. “Obviously, with things always changing (lockdown, open up, lockdown, open up), it’s impossible to effectively plan a giveaway,” said Russell Bird, owner of The Promo Addict (asi/302225) in Sherwood Park, AB. “So that’s definitely impacted our business. It’s been unpredictable, but we’re pretty close to even compared with this time last year. We continue to feel that the second half of 2021 will be very positive because of pent-up demand. I just hope suppliers are prepared for the onslaught and that Canada isn’t so far behind that there’s no stock left for us.”

Bird said his team hasn’t done much virtual event swag because of prohibitive shipping costs across Canada, but they have seen a significant increase in retail items like nametags, shopping bags, boxes and uniforms.

“Alberta isn’t closed to retail, so those stores are booming,” he said. “People have nothing to do but shop, so that’s been keeping us busy. We’re looking to buy a couple more printers/presses because our in-house production capabilities are going to be pushed to the max in the second half of the year.”

Ann Baiden, CEO and founder of Innovatex Solutions Inc. (asi/231194) in Richmond Hill, ON, said the ongoing restrictions in the province are taking a serious toll on small businesses, like salons, spas and restaurants. “There’s not a ton of freedom here,” she said. “I feel for my clients and friends with businesses that have been forced to close again.” 

Demand for kitting has stayed strong as the virus persists. “We continue to raise the bar on our virtual experience boxes to bring smiles to the recipients,” Baiden said. “There are definitely challenging moments and I feel for those in less optimistic circumstances.” 

And while cases remain high in Quebec, the province, which was an initial hot zone of the virus last year, saw a decline in hospitalizations for the fifth day in a row this week. Premier Francois Legault said he would begin lifting restrictions in some areas, but that it was still too soon for a province-wide easing because of a low number of vaccinated individuals. High schools can reopen on May 10 and nighttime curfew has been moved to 9:30 p.m. from 8:00 p.m. That measure led to riots and looting in the Old Port of Montreal last month.

“The situation in Quebec is a little better compared to Ontario,” said Christine Courtemanche, vice president of Lineaire Infographie Inc. (asi/253727) in Laval, QC. “Morale is good, and our sales have increased significantly versus the same time last year. We must remain positive even if the situation is still difficult.”

Montreal was at the center of continued supply chain disruption over the past few months. A weeks-long dispute at the Port of Montreal that led to a short-lived full strike by dockworkers ended with the federal government stepping in and ordering them back to work. The union representing the workers, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE, Local 375), said it will challenge the move as unconstitutional.