The Grande Prairie Regional Emergency Partnership is reminding local business owners to closely follow the essential/non-essential business guidelines put forward by the province.
Despite the forced closure of all non-essential businesses, including hair salons, barbershops, tattoo and piercing studios, esthetic services, and dine-in restaurants, employees can continue to work out of their physical location if some aspects of the job can’t be handled remotely. However, measures like physical distancing, frequent hand washing, and ensuring hand sanitizer are on hand are a must.
All dine-in restaurants were ordered closed, except for take-out, delivery, curbside pick-up, and drive-through. All non-essential retail stores have also been ordered to close, with similar exceptions, and the parking lots of provincial parks and public lands are closed to public access.
The province can levy fines of $100,000 for a first offence and up to $500,000 for further offences. Anyone aware of a business violating these orders is asked to submit a complaint to the government.
The six partner municipalities in GPREP, including the City and County of Grande Prairie, Towns of Beaverlodge, Sexsmith, and Wembley, and the Village of Hythe, have also renewed their State of Local Emergency. The SOLE will lapse unless renewed every seven days under the Alberta Emergency Management Act.