COVID-19: Lethbridge businesses excited about chance to potentially open for summer

The “Open for Summer” plan announced by the provincial government on Wednesday is creating a stir in Lethbridge.

Businesses are preparing to transition to full operations and Mayor Chris Spearman said he is “cautiously optimistic” about the province’s timeline, as long as COVID-19 vaccinations in Lethbridge continue.

“I think in Lethbridge, about 60 per cent of our population has a first vaccine,” Spearman said. “That’s great. the provincial average is about 50 per cent.

“We’re doing well, but we need to keep that up.”

According to the plan, if certain numbers related to COVID-19 vaccinations and hospitalizations are met, restaurants could possibly move from takeout only to being free of COVID-19 restrictions by early July.

Hudsons Pub general manager Jesse Dixon said the bar is scrambling to get everything ready.

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“It can be a little overwhelming now,” Dixon said.

“We have a lot of product we have to plan for, operations inside and outside, so there’s a lot going on right now.”

Local Canada Day plans won’t be changed by the province’s news, but Spearman said the city will look at the possibility of larger events later in the summer.

“I imagine over the next few weeks, as the numbers change, we will begin reviewing what may or may not occur,” he said.

Shilpa Stocker with the Lethbridge Lodging Association is excited about the business that could be created by larger gatherings allowed in Stage 3 of the plan.

“All of those events, we had a plan A, plan B, plan C, depending on the restrictions,” Stocker said.

“Now, all of a sudden, we can look forward to the optimal plan and it makes it so much easier.”

With light at the end of the tunnel, the hope is this will be the final step towards normal.

“(I hope) that we don’t have to go through a shutdown again. It’s just hard on staff, it’s hard on families, it’s hard on the whole community,” Dixon said.

“Not going backwards would be ideal for everyone.”

The province’s plan would also remove mandatory masking requirements, except in places like hospitals, during Stage 3.

The city currently has a mask bylaw in place and the mayor said the decision to lift it would depend on the city’s comfort with the local situation at the time.