Red-tape upon re-opening
Hair stylists have always practised good hygiene at work and will have no problem adding extra precautions in the COVID-19 era once the province finally starts filling in the blanks of its Restart B.C. plan, says a Penticton salon owner who’s frustrated by the lack of details.
“It seems extremely vague and I almost feel a little more confused now than I was before,” Ascend Salon owner David Greenwood said Friday.
The plan, unveiled Wednesday by Premier John Horgan, lays out the broad strokes for reopening the economy in four phases.
Hair salons, dental offices, retailers, restaurants, parks, beaches and more are slated to reopen in phase two, sometime in “mid-May onwards.”
Businesses must reopen with “enhanced protocols” in place, according to the Restart BC website. The final phases are expected to start sometime between June and September.
The plan suggests employers visit WorkSafeBC for advice on coming up with safety plans ahead of reopening.
But it’s unclear if the plans will need to be approved before reopening and how long that will take. WorkSafeBC says it has developed guidelines to help businesses draw up plans, but it won’t actually approve the plans.
In anticipation of an eventual reopening, Greenwood has been sourcing personal protective equipment – masks, face shields, aprons, plexiglas, capes and more – that he expects he’ll need to return to work eventually, plus researching what salons are doing in other countries.
But between the PPE, reduced frequency of appointments and shorter staff shifts he’s planning, Greenwood figures it will cost him thousands of dollars.
“It gets pretty hard to make a buck,” he said. David Prystay, general manager of the Penticton Lakeside Resort, is similarly uncertain about when and how he’ll reopen conference and dining facilities (the hotel itself never closed).
“I don’t have a clue. There’s no date set for restaurants. There’s no protocol out there yet that’s been approved by the government or WorkSafeBC,” said Prystay.
For example, he continued, the hotel operates the Barking Parrot Pub, which is licensed to serve food and alcohol all day long, making it more like a restaurant than a bar.
“Should we be allowed to open?” said Prystay. “And if we open, should it be more than 49 seats?”
Penticton MLA Dan Ashton is hearing similar concerns from every sector.
“I have been getting a substantial number of phone calls from individuals, most concerning the process of how they can reopen their restaurants, reopen their stores, reopen with wineries,” he said.
Ashton is advising workers and business owners to simply follow whatever guidance is on the WorkSafeBC website and stay tuned for more announcements. Local business groups are singing the same tune.
“Everyone is looking for guidance, and I think our message, not just to business owners, but to the public as well, is that the guidance is coming,” said Nicole Clark, president of the Penticton and Wine Country Chamber of Commerce.
“And just as we’ve patiently waited for programs to roll out over the last few months, we need to have a little patience to allow these guidelines to be put in place to keep everybody safe.”
The chamber is offering a variety of webinars, including one tentatively set for next Wednesday that will hear from a cross-section of local business owners about how they’ve managed to keep running during the pandemic.
A question-and-answer session will follow. Check www.penticton.org for details.
Chambers up and down the Valley have also joined forces on the #OKwegotthis campaign to share information, strategies and success stories.
Meanwhile, survey results released Friday by the Penticton chamber found 22% of members felt they had fallen through the cracks of various government aid programs, while 21% said they’re closed awaiting loosening of restrictions. The survey also found 60% of respondents had laid off at least one employee.