OTTAWA -- Businesses that are eager to reopen next week are finalizing their plans on how to do it safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Retail stores that are not in malls and have a separate street entrance will be allowed to reopen on Tuesday, with strict physical distancing rules in place.
Masters n’ Dogs in Westboro is shutting down over the weekend in order to sanitize everything and get the store ready for customers.
“Our phone has been going non-stop, just to get everyone booked in for grooming and to be able to come in and look at all the treats and toys, all the stuff we’ve been trying to do digitally over the next few months,” said Michele Witteveen, Masters n’ Dogs store manager.
“We’re only going to have two groomers in at once as opposed to three like before, they’ll be moving through the back door now for grooming so that it’ll be less contact. We’re only allowing two customers in at once, we’ll only have two staff members working.”
Several other businesses say while they can’t wait to reopen their doors to the public, it won’t be on Tuesday.
“I don’t feel like we’ve got enough time to set up with the right things in terms of hand sanitizing stations at the door and at the counter, masks for our employees,” said Susie Pearson, the owner of The Extraordinary Baby Shoppe/Hintonburg Kids. “I would just rather wait two weeks and see what happens as things start to open up.”
Flowers Talk Tivoli is also going to keep doing what’s been working well: curbside pick up and delivery.
“I’m just not ready to open up the doors wide open to the public yet,” said owner Elizabeth Young. “As much as I would love to have everybody back at the store, it’s more just a safety concern for our team and as well as for the public.”
