This week’s bulletin includes an overview of public health measures and a vaccine eligibility update.

New public health measures

In a press conference yesterday (May 3), Premier Jason Kenney announced he would be introducing a new round of public health measures today (May 4). Click here to view the live stream at 6 p.m. tonight.

We will provide additional information once we have assessed the update and determined if the new measures have any impact to our business operations at CREB^® or our members.

The Government of Alberta also recently introduced new public health measures for “hot spot” municipalities and regions across the province. A hot spot is a municipality or region with at least 350 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people and 250 active COVID-19 cases. Calgary, Airdrie, Okotoks and Rocky View County are all current hot spots.

The new restrictions in these areas impact schools, fitness activities, and sports and recreation. In addition, the government will institute a curfew in areas where COVID-19 case rates reach 1,000 per 100,000 people or where the municipality or region requests it.

For more information about restrictions in hot spot areas and a list of current hot spots, click here.

Q&A with Member Practice

Q: Should agents ask vaccination-related questions as part of our COVID-19 disclosure/ screening process?

A: At this time, CREB^® has not added a vaccine question to our optional COVID-19 disclosure forms and we would discourage brokerages from adding it to their documents for the following reasons:

• Federal and provincial governments have not mandated COVID-19 vaccines.
• There may be valid reasons (health, religious, etc.) for someone to not receive the vaccine, making the situation more delicate.
• Vaccine details are considered medical information that an individual does not legally have to disclose.

Sellers have a right to ask COVID-19 related questions of those who may wish to view their home. Buyers have the right to refuse to answer any questions they feel are private in nature. If the seller is not satisfied with the answers, they can refuse to show the property based on their concerns for health and safety.

For more information on COVID-19 and disclosure forms, please click here. 

Vaccine eligibility

Starting May 4, teachers, support staff and childcare workers are all eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

Recently, the Government of Alberta also opened vaccinations to Albertans in the rest of Phase 2C, as well as all those in Phase 2D, of the province’s vaccine rollout. This means all Albertans in Phase 2 can now get a COVID-19 vaccine.

The following groups are currently eligible for a vaccine:

• All Albertans age 50+
• All Albertans age 40+ for the AstraZeneca vaccine
• Residents of Banff and Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo age 18+
• Albertans Age 12+ with eligible chronic health conditions
• Eligible front-line health care workers, as well as shelter and correction facility staff
• Teachers, support staff and child care workers

Click here for more information on booking a vaccination appointment.

CREB^® is closely monitoring news regarding COVID-19 and is committed to providing our members with the most up-to-date and relevant information.

To access additional information and resources for REALTORS^®, please visit the COVID-19 hub on CREB^®Link.