Alberta government staff member under fire for Hawaii trip during pandemic

Social media posts appear to show the press secretary for Alberta’s education minister on vacation in Hawaii during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After more than 24 hours, Global News has still not received a response from the UCP government on the issue.

Images of Michael Forian, who is press secretary for Adriana LaGrange, were shared online Tuesday.

A travel advisory from both federal and provincial governments advises all Canadians to avoid non-essential travel outside the country.

Alberta Health says people should “avoid non-essential travel.” Exemptions are made for certain industries and on compassionate grounds.

All non-exempt travellers returning to or entering Alberta from outside Canada are legally required to:

• Quarantine (isolate) for 14 days
• Monitor for symptoms
• Get tested if any symptom develops and isolate for at least 10 additional days from the beginning of symptoms or until feeling well, whichever takes longer

Global News has reached out to both the UCP government and Forian himself. This article will be updated if we receive a response.

Forian’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts appear to have been deleted after the images were shared widely on social media.