(Angie Rolheiser/northeastNOW Staff)

By paNOW Staff

Saskatchewan business reacts to province’s re-opening plan

Jun 15, 2021 | 5:00 PM

Now that the Government of Saskatchewan will begin to remove its COVID-19 restrictions starting on July 11, Saskatchewan businesses have differing feelings on what that could look like in their stores.

On Tuesday, the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce released the results of a survey conducted with Saskatchewan business community members.

Out of those surveyed, 49 per cent believe July 11 is an appropriate date for restrictions to be lifted, while 24 per cent say it’s too early and 16 per cent say it’s too late. The other 12 per cent were unsure.

Although guidelines will be eased, 70 per cent of business owners in the province said they will continue to enforce COVID-19 protocols.

Prince Albert Chamber of Commerce CEO Elise Hildebrandt said it’s encouraging to see that many businesses across the province, especially in Prince Albert, committed to still implementing some protocols on their own.

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“The concept of having hand sanitizer at the front when you come into a store—it’s a brilliant idea. It helps keep down the germ factor and the cleaning, and everything else we’ve been doing for the last 15-18 months.”

The survey also found that 68 per cent of respondents feel their business is fully prepared for restrictions to be lifted, while 47 per cent expect their business to fully recover back to pre-pandemic levels sometime this year.

Hildebrandt said from what she’s seen with businesses around the city, the results of the survey reflect the feelings of Prince Albert businesses.

And while there is a lot of excitement about getting closer to normal, a lot of businesses will still have to continue to adapt.

“It’s no secret that many businesses have been impacted significantly by the pandemic and it’s going to take some time until things return to normal,” Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce CEO, Steve McLellan said in a statement. “For many organizations, a return to pre-pandemic ways is simply not possible and employers need to continue to adapt to accommodate a transformed workforce returning to the workplace.”

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panews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow