Alberta Launches Reopening Guidelines for Businesses Including Restaurants, Hair Salons, and Museums

The government of Alberta has launched online guidance documents to support businesses during Alberta’s phased relaunch detailing measures to implement during reopening phases.

The Bizconnect webpage provides business owners with information on health and safety guidelines for general workplaces and sector-specific guidelines for those able to open in stage one of relaunch to ensure businesses can reopen safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The guidelines include physical distancing protocols, enhanced cleaning, 50% occupancy for restaurants, allowing only self-guided tours or app-based self-guided tours for museums, implementing single entrance and exit, and installing plexiglass barriers.

The restaurants should arrange tables and chairs so that a 2-metre distance is maintained between each dining party. Each dinner party sitting together at larger tables should be limited to six. Condiments and other frequently touched items like salt and pepper shakers, ketchup, hot sauce should be removed from tables. Recreational activities within bars, cafes, or pubs are not allowed at this time including dancing on dance floors, VLT play, billiards, pool tables, karaoke, shisha, hookah and water pipes, and other activities.

The guidelines for hair salons include workstations at a 2-meter distance, limiting products or tools between workstations and clean and disinfect products and tools between users, washing ash towels, robes and related items between clients, and disposing of non-washable items, like neck strips, between clients. Masks are mandatory for both clients and stylists.

The guidance documents are available for sectors currently allowed to operate under public health orders: