An Airdrie business owner is in limbo as she serves out the government-mandated self-isolation period for people who have recently returned to Canada after travelling abroad.
Courtney Rose, the owner of Rose Gold Body Piercing and Tattoo, arrived home March 15 from her honeymoon in Jamaica. Though neither she nor her husband is experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19, she said they are staying at home for 14 days to help prevent the virus’ continuing spread.
“To be honest, it was a little bit scary, how quickly everything escalated while we were overseas,” she said. “We’re not the kind of people who spend time on our phones while we’re on vacation, so I didn’t even hear about everything that was occurring here until [March 11 or 12], and the only reason I heard about it was because the Canadian consulate in Jamaica came to our resort.”
The self-isolation period has been frustrating, according to Rose, given her daughter currently has an ear infection and she’s unsure of how to get it treated while she's not allowed to leave home.
“We haven’t been able to get through to 811 for four days,” she said. “I don’t know how to access basic government or medical services right now.”
Furthermore, she said no one from the government has contacted her family to ensure they are properly following self-isolation protocols, and there was no screening at the Calgary airport after they landed.
As a small-business owner, Rose, who is an admin for the Shop Local Airdrie Facebook page, is also concerned with how her piercing and tattoo parlour will be impacted by the virus.
“A lot of people are restricting their movement outside their homes, and the services they’re no longer seeking out are being reduced in a huge way,” she said. “Being a non-essential medical service, we’re going to struggle – we’re going to be in a world of hurt in a couple of months, with the economy.”
Despite the upcoming struggles, she said her business is planning to stay open and adapt its protocols to address the COVID-19 pandemic. New measures include requesting that clients do not bring friends when they arrive for a tattoo or piercing appointment.
“We already implement some pretty strict hand-washing procedures in our studios, so as soon as someone comes into our studio, we’re directing them to our hand-washing stations,” she said. “We already offer hand sanitizing and hand washing as part of the procedure you undergo when you come to our studio, anyways. Other than that, we’re providing other services online right now.”
Rose added the best way to support small businesses like hers is to purchase gift certificates over the phone or online, as they can be used when the pandemic is over.
“It’s about supporting our local business owners because right now, we don’t have the foot traffic to support it and it’s going to be a rough upcoming month for local businesses that can’t afford to close,” she said. “We have to make rent and pay our staff. It’s pretty crazy, and we can’t just fire everyone.”
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Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
