`I FEEL LIKE I GOT WHIPLASH'
Businesses scramble to reopen following short notice from province
Edmonton businesses say they were left scrambling after the Alberta government suddenly announced changes to the province's COVID-19 measures, despite promising to give advanced warning.
Health Minister Tyler Shandro on Thursday said personal wellness services such as barbershops and salons could reopen starting on Monday by appointment only. The province brought in stricter measures to curb the spread of the virus on Dec. 13 and promised to give at least a week's notice before making any changes.
Victoria Stevens, the owner of Metropolitan Rockabilly Hair Design, said she felt a little blindsided by Thursday's announcement and, given the short amount of time, plans to reopen closer to Jan. 21.
“I feel like I got whiplash a little bit,” she said. “(Premier Jason Kenney) did tell us that he would give us a week's notice before we could open and then he turns around and only gave us four days. Maybe some people are different but ... I need to get things ready to go.”
Michelle Kim, the owner of M Hair Salon, spent Friday preparing to reopen as she said she had plans over the weekend she couldn't change. She said she still has to reach out to staff to see when they can come back.
Kim said she's nervous the province could shut her industry down again and just hopes she can muster enough clients to survive.
“I know I can't make money right now even if I'm opened,” she said. “It's just (about) keeping my business. (That's) the priority right now.”
Matthew Smith is the co-founder
of Modern Gravity, a company that has offered Edmontonians a chance to float in sensory deprivation tanks for the past six years.
He said he wasn't anticipating reopening so soon, as the plan was originally to aim for closer to Jan. 20. He said he and his business partner are still deciding what to do as opening on Monday would be tough.
“Chances are we're going to be opening up later in the week,” Smith said.
Shane Turgeon, the owner of Shades of Grey Tattoo, said he too wasn't expecting to reopen so quickly as he was mentally preparing for later in the month.
He said the biggest challenge will be coordinating appointments with his tattoo artists, as they all book individually, but he was already stocking up on supplies well ahead of when he thought he was going to reopen.
“There's certainly scrambling on my end to make sure that the shop is fully prepared to open,” Turgeon said. “(A week's notice) certainly would have helped for booking and scheduling in terms of supplies and stuff like that (but) I'm super proactive. I was ordering from suppliers a week and a half ago. I don't really trust the province. I don't trust what they say.”
Christine Myatt, the spokeswoman for the premier's office, said in an email Friday the decision to make the announcement this week came after speaking with personal services businesses.
“(They) told us they did not need a full week's notice to reopen and, as such, we shortened the notice time in an effort to get them up and running as quickly as possible,” she said. “For example, unlike a restaurant that would need to order supplies and schedule staff days in advance, personal services said they did not need as much lead time.”