CALGARY -- Personal services such as hair, aesthetic and tattoo businesses were allowed to reopen in Alberta — by appointment only — on Monday as easing health restrictions came into place across the province.
The changes were announced Thursday by Health Minister Tyler Shandro.
It means outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people will now be allowed. Funerals may also have up to 20 guests.
The changes come after daily case counts for COVID-19 have dropped to about half from their peak around Christmas.
But the province still doesn’t have good data on where infections are coming from. That means restrictions are not carefully targeting the sources of infections, potentially creating an unnecessary drag on the struggling economy.
According to the province’s published numbers for the period between Jan. 10-16, a total of 5,387 new cases were reported in Alberta.
Most came from close personal contact (1,963 cases), but health officials and policy makers don’t know how more than 43 per cent of cases (2,339) were spread.
