A former MLA wants to see COVID rules relaxed for rural areas of Alberta.

Former Livingstone-Macleod MLA Pat Stier says the rules as they are, are putting too much pressure on rural businesses, when they don't need to.

He says it makes sense to him to re-examine the data around infection rates in rural areas and re-think the restrictions accordingly.

"I think this would be a great solution and help, particularly those small businesses that may be struggling right now in rural areas, where they don't really have a lot of opportunity to keep these businesses going at the best of times, let alone with these lock downs."

In a post to Facebook, former Livingstone-Macleod MLA Pat Stier says he'd like to see COVID restrictions eased in rural Alberta.

He says however, he's not pushing for allowing large groups to gather again.

"I'm not looking to change the rules on the big gatherings, if you recall there was a regional basis where they recognize Calgary and Edmonton were the centre of a lot of infection and they were a little more lenient in the rural areas and I think we need to return to that as soon as possible."

Stier says limits on the number of people in businesses at any one time would stop a stampede of people coming from the city to the country to take advantage of open rural businesses.

 

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