SUNDRE - When the province announced its business reopening plan Kathy Augustowich, the owner of Studio 104 hairdresser studio in Sundre already had clients calling to schedule a visit.
“I’m sure it’s going to be very busy,” said Augustowich. “I’ve been having a few clients text, excited and wanting to book an appointment.
“I don’t know, financially, if I could withstanding being closed for much longer. I just feel like life as we know it is going to be forever altered because of this (pandemic)."
The province announced last week that the initial reopening would allow some businesses and services to reopen and resume operations with two metre physical distancing requirements and other public health restrictions remaining in place on May 14.
Non-essential businesses had been ordered closed in March as part of the province’s COVID-19 pandemic response.
Under the first stage of the reopening, retail businesses permitted to resume operations including clothing, furniture and bookstores, hairstyling and barber shops, museums and art galleries, daycares with limits on occupancy, cafes and restaurants with no bar service and seating limited to 50 per cent capacity.
Brenda Johnston is the owner of the Bear’s Den clothing story in Sundre.
“If they’re going to open retail business as of the 14th of May, then I guess I will open on the 14th of May,” said Johnston. “I think they’re opening things up too soon, but that’s my personal opinion.
“I don’t think it really matters when things open up. We’re going to have a second wave of this. And they can’t keep businesses closed for another year, a year and a half until there is a vaccination.”