Last week, the Alberta government announced the lifting of many COVID-19 measures that had been in place to prevent the spread of the virus. In phase one of removing protections, masking requirements in schools have been lifted for students of all ages as of yesterday, and outside of schools, children 12 and under will be exempt from masking requirements. If hospitalization rates trend down, phase two will come into place on March 1st. For schools, this would mean any remaining provincial school requirements, like cohorting, will be removed, and any screening prior to youth activities will no longer be required. According to the chair of the Edmonton Public Board, schools were not consulted on this decision, and the Alberta Teachers Association is concerned at the speed at which the masking mandate is being removed. Produced by Hannah Cunningham.