Mayor Don Iveson 2nd Floor, City Hall 1 Sir Winston Churchill Square Edmonton, Alberta T5J 2R7 Mayor Naheed Nenshi Calgary Mayor’s Office 800 Macleod Trail SE Calgary, Alberta T2P 2M5 June 3, 2021 EZMSA Office Suite 201 12315 Stony Plain Road NW Edmonton, Alberta T5N 3Y8 Re: Alberta’s Open for Summer Plan Dear Mayor Iveson and Mayor Nenshi: As you are aware, the EZMSA’s Strategic COVID-19 Pandemic Committee has expressed concern about Stage 3 of Alberta’s Open for Summer plan which could occur on June 24th. Currently, 36% of Albertans over the age of 12 have had no dose of the COVID vaccine, 64.4% a single dose and only 10.4% are fully protected. Given this low level of full protection, the known ability of the new delta variant (formerly B.1.617.2, “Indian variant”) to spread more rapidly than previous variants, and the delta variant’s ability to infect two-thirds of those with only a single dose, it is clear that lifting all restrictions, including the ban on indoor social gatherings, is a bad idea. This reckless relaxing of precautions and allowing super-spreader events to take place is likely to jeopardize the smooth reopening of schools and workplaces in the fall. The purpose of this letter is to ask that you consider taking the brave and meaningful steps you and your city councils took earlier in the epidemic, when the government was not prepared to act to protect its citizens. Your actions then, particularly in August of last year to mandate masks in indoor spaces, made a difference in controlling the spread of the virus and preventing disease in Edmontonians and Calgarians. Our Committee strongly urges you to take similar actions during this Stage 3 of the province’s reopening plan, that is, requiring that masks be worn in indoor spaces until such time as 70% of your respective city’s populations have received two doses of COVID vaccine. Thank-you for considering this matter. Sincerely, Dr. Noel Gibney Dr. James Talbot Co-Chairs, Strategic COVID-19 Pandemic Committee Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association CC: Dr. Erika MacIntyre, President, EZMSA Dr. Scott Beach, President, Calgary and Area Medical Staff Society Mr. Bin Lau, Strategic Advisor to the Mayor, City of Edmonton Ms. Devery Corbin, Chief of Staff, City of Calgary