After more than six weeks of industry restrictions and social distancing measures brought on by COVID-19, some local businesses are preparing to resume operations following the Alberta government's April 30 announcement of a three-phase plan to gradually reopen the economy.
The government’s relaunch strategy began May 1, with access to provincial parks relaxed and restrictions lifted on elective surgeries. The first phase will officially commence May 14, but dates for the second and third phases are not set in stone as they are dependent on the success of phase one.
Mayor Peter Brown said the City of Airdrie is still dissecting the details of the provincial government’s relaunch strategy to see how City-owned facilities and services are impacted.
“We’re in the process of going through all the information [and] making sure we have all the connections in place, so those businesses that may or may not be aware they have the opportunity to open have all the information that relates to them – the circumstances by which you have to open, according to the health professionals,“ Brown said. “Everything that is in play has to be communicated to our businesses.“
Clothing stores, retail outlets, book stores, farmers’ markets, hairstyling and barber shops, daycares, museums and art galleries are eligible to open in phase one – with public health measures and social-distancing practices still in place.
Laurie Harvey, curator at Nose Creek Valley Museum (NCVM), said she is hoping to reopen in some capacity, but is awaiting direction from the Alberta Museums Association before doing so. NCVM has been closed to the public since March 16.
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“We obviously know we need to keep our visitors and staff safe, as well as any volunteers that come in,“ she said. “With museums, there are unique challenges to having visitors – we know any hands-on exhibits would be closed for now, so we would have to reimagine what the museum would look like. Museums across Alberta are talking about this and trying to figure it out.“
Harvey said NCVM staff need to figure out a few protocols before deciding whether to reopen, such as whether bathrooms would remain closed, if Plexiglass barriers would need to be secured and if the museum needs to have a sufficient amount of hand sanitizer on site.
“We have to check with [the City of Airdrie] too,“ she said. “We miss people, and sharing our heritage, but we need to make sure we're safe.“
Restaurants, cafés, pubs and bars may also resume sit-down operations, according to the government, though they will be restricted to 50 per cent occupancy or less.
According to Farouk Elsaghir, co-owner of Pauls Pizza, those restrictions mean he'll be allowed to seat 40 customers in its lounge side and 40 in its restaurant side.
“We have to get a licence to allow minors in the bar for the time being, so that will be a first for us,“ he said.
Elsaghir said the restaurant will spread tables out to ensure physical distancing is easier, while also increasing its sanitization protocols for tables and menus, and running items through the dishwasher twice to ensure it's clean.
He said many staff members who were laid off want to come back to work, but a handful would prefer to remain at home.
“The same thing goes for the kitchen,“ he said.
Dental offices in Airdrie, which for the last six weeks have only been open for emergency procedures, will also be allowed to schedule routine check-ups and elective surgeries.
“It’s encouraging to see we’ve made progress with our social distancing measures,“ said Dr. Hubert Ng, owner of Airdrie Springs Dental. “Our patients and everyone that requires work – they’ve been breaking teeth and there’s just common stuff going on, like cavities and abscesses. It’s good for us to get back on track so they can get back to their regular oral health care.“
Ng said patients can expect plenty of changes when the clinic does reinstate full operations later this month. He said patients will be required to wait in their cars or the parking lot until their appointments, and dentists and hygienists will be covered head-to-toe in personal protective equipment (PPE).
“With respect to routine dental, the one thing patients will have to realize is that it’s going to change quite a bit,“ he said.
“PPE is going to be a big deal. If people can’t source that, there are going to be a lot of procedures that won’t be done. Dentists will be wearing N95 masks, there will probably be gowns and possibly face shields – we’ll end up looking like astronauts for a while, and that’s how things might look moving forward.“
Though some eligible businesses in Airdrie will be reopening May 14, others are choosing to remain closed to protect the health of employees and customers.
“As a group, we had a big discussion about it, and a lot of us are unable to start May 14 due to childcare or living arrangements – a few of the girls live with parents who are at risk, with respiratory difficulties,“ said Aly Grandy, senior hairstylist at HairBenders Salon. “We do think it's too soon to open, and we don't think we could get our protective gear in time. We actually don't know what the restrictions really are, or what will be required of us once we do open."
Grandy said HairBenders closed March 15 – a week before hairstyling salons were mandated to close.
“We just didn't want to be a source of the virus,“ she said. “We didn't feel comfortable and didn't think we had enough protective policies in place to keep us, our families and clients safe.
“When they announced the possibility of opening on May 14 was available to us, we decided if we had chosen to close early, we could also choose to reopen late.“
The first phase of the reopening strategy still bans gatherings of more than 15 people, and individuals are still required to follow physical distancing and other public health guidelines. Movie theatres, pools, recreation centres, spas, nightclubs and fitness facilities will remain closed.
Visiting patients in health care facilities will still be limited, the government said, and at-home learning for students in kindergarten to Grade 12 will also continue.
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
