The P.E.I. government has indicated it plans to lift its public mask mandate April 7, and many are anxiously awaiting official confirmation that the plan is going ahead.
Robert Godfrey, CEO of the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce, says if the Chief Public Health Office believes it is safe to lift the guidelines, his group supports it.
Godfrey said he knows some individual owners and their staff will choose to keep masks, and everyone has to do what works for their specific business. That is their right, he said.
The chamber said the business community is hoping for a good summer and getting back to growth and increased revenues.
"The chamber is really focused on the Moving On Plan and getting back to business as normal," he said.
Shopping mall making plans
At the Royalty Crossing mall in Charlottetown, administration staff told CBC News that individual stores can determine their own policies around masks.
If the province lifts masks mandates as expected, people will not be required to wear them in the public areas of the mall. Mall staff and contractors will still wear them, however.
Respecting comfort level
Joel Steeves, store manager at Charm Diamond Centres in the mall, said the store will comply with CPHO guidelines. If masks are dropped, there will no longer be a requirement for them.
He said staff are going to be asked to be aware of customers' choices.
"If the customer comes in with a mask, the employees will also wear a mask," he said.
Steeves said the idea is to help people be comfortable in their day-to-day activities.
He expects to see a split in terms of whether people want to mask.
Some businesses hope to keep masks
The P.E.I. Hairdressers Association said it expects masks to continue to be required at most salons.
"I feel like our salon owners and stylists will keep them in place just because they are so close to their clients," said Sherri Runighan, the executive director of the association.
She said there may be some who choose to drop them, but she expects the majority will want to keep masks in place along with the extra cleaning, sanitizing and Plexiglas.
She said the association is very proud of how it's worked to keep people safe. "They've been doing extremely well," she said.
The Bookmark in Charlottetown wants to continue recommending masks for customers and requiring them for staff no matter what happens provincially.
Manager Lori Cheverie says many young children come in the store, and some can't be vaccinated because they aren't old enough.
"We want to make sure they're comfortable, their parents are comfortable," said Cheverie.
She said some staff members also have vulnerable people in their family.
"We're going to continue wearing masks and keep our protection up,"
She expects that the store's decision to be accepted, and that most customers will keep wearing masks.
CBC News
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/mask-mandate-business-policies-1.6407978
