Health Minister Tyler Shandro. (Government of Alberta)

By David Opinko

Personal and wellness services can now reopen, 10-person outdoor gatherings allowed

Jan 18, 2021 | 5:00 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The Government of Alberta has lifted a couple of COVID-19 restrictions.

Health Minister Tyler Shandro announced last week that, starting on Monday, January 18, personal and wellness services can reopen by appointment only.

“Albertans have done a good job of staying the course and abiding by public health measures, but we are still seeing high hospitalizations and case numbers, and this continues to put a serious strain on our health-care system. How much further we can ease restrictions depends on our collective efforts over the coming days and weeks to limit the spread of the virus.”

These include hairstylists and barbers, manicures and pedicures, aesthetics, reflexology, piercings, and tattoo parlors.

He also declared that outdoor social gatherings of no more than 10 people are now allowed.

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The province will allow up to 20 people to attend funeral services. Masking and physical distancing will continue to be required.

“Although we’ve seen a decline in transmission, our health-care system is still at risk,” says Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw. “We must remain diligent in our efforts to bring our numbers down even further. By easing some measures like outdoor gathering limits, we hope to support Albertans’ mental health, while still following other restrictions that are helping us reduce case numbers.”

A press release from the province states that provincial and regional trends will continue to be assessed over the coming weeks to determine if further easing of restrictions is warranted.

As well, Minister of Jobs, Economy, and Innovation Doug Schweitzer says they are expanding the eligibility for the Small and Medium Enterprise Relaunch Grant to include new companies that started up between February 29 and October 31, 2020.

“They will now be eligible for up to $15,000 of the relaunch grant. That program will be online in the first week of February.”

Companies are eligible if they have seen a 30 per cent drop during the pandemic.

Note: This article was originally posted on Thursday, January 14.