Businesses eager to get back to work
Niagara retailers are ready to open their doors.
Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce director of policy and government relations Hugo Chesshire said he spoke to several business owners after the province said retailers with street-front entrances not located in shopping malls can reopen for business today.
“They’re ready,” he said, adding they are taking steps to ensure they meet requirements for physical distancing, such as limiting the number of customers.
“They’re doing things like shopping by appointment only, just to make sure there is only a limited number of people in the store and preferably just one customer at a time.”
They’re also following guidelines, such as measuring square footage within the retail space to determine the maximum number of customers they can accommodate while maintaining at least two metres between them.
While some are also taking precautions such as wearing personal protective equipment, Chesshire said it’s in short supply right now.
“It would be hard for retailers to get their hands on enough equipment, especially when health-care workers are also struggling to find it,” he said.
“I don’t think you’d want to do anything that takes PPE away from essential health-care workers, who actually need it much more badly.”
Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff credited plans to reopen more of Ontario’s economy to the actions of people throughout the province, including his own constituents.
“This is the first stage of a multistage reopening and is a measured approach that will be monitored for the impact on cases,” he said in a statement.
“I know the citizens of Ontario and Niagara want to be responsible and look out for each other, and this announcement (Friday) shows how far we have come.”
In addition to the retail stores outside of shopping malls, the province is permitting some seasonal and recreational businesses to open, if they can do so while maintaining physical distancing and without spectators.
Household service providers such as housekeepers, cooks, cleaning and maintenance companies can also resume work if they can follow public health guidelines.
Some health and medical services will be permitted, including non-essential surgeries, counselling and professional services, such as children’s treatment centres, can resume in-person services.
Pet care service providers, such as grooming and training, and regular veterinary appointments can also resume.
While Chesshire called it good news and said owners are excited to again open their doors, he said it will take more testing to isolate people with COVID-19 to prevent the spread of the virus.
“We will be able to open up the economy more and sooner if we have more testing in place,” he said. “That’s going to be the key to move to the next steps.”