After weeks of restrictions that forced restaurants and local businesses to close their doors, at least a small semblance of normal life has returned to Okotoks, Alta.
On Thursday, some businesses and restaurants in the community south of Calgary began reopening as part of the first phase of the Alberta government’s provincial relaunch strategy. “People are stressed, they want some degree of normalcy,” said Okotoks Mayor Bill Robertson. “It’s good to see we’re getting back to normal in this first phase.” Robertson said he believes Okotoks has been coping fairly well with the COVID-19 pandemic, and that traffic through the downtown area had noticeably picked up on Thursday.