New Brunswick’s approach to reopening businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic is being applauded by a group representing chambers of commerce.

Last week, provincial officials announced some restrictions were being loosened after a stretch of no new cases.

“This is a dimmer switch, it’s not an on/off switch. We have to take things slowly,” said Sheri Somerville, CEO of the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce, which represents 94 chambers of commerce across Atlantic Canada.

In the first steps of the four-phase strategy, the province allowed public parks, beaches and golf courses to reopen. It also opened fishing and hunting seasons and allowed for outdoor religious services.

In the second phase, which will begin in two to four weeks, retail stores, restaurants, and offices will be allowed to open, following established social-distancing guidelines.
If the province can then continue to go for three to four weeks without a new wave, more high-contact businesses can reopen. Those include hairstylists and barbers, fitness facilities, dental care and massage therapy, among others.

Somerville said while it is nice to see some businesses reopen, they do have some concerns going forward.

“First and foremost, public health, public safety is of the utmost importance. Employees want to know that they’re going to be able to go back to work and be in safe places,” she said.

“If things turn out positively and we’re able to see other businesses reopen, we’ve gotta make sure that those businesses are prepared with the right personal protective equipment, PPE, as well as physical distancing alterations.”

Businesses also need to prepare in case we see a spike of new COVID-19 cases, said Somerville.

The province said restrictions may be reinstated at any time to protect public health, based on provincial, regional or local circumstances like unlinked community outbreaks or cases that cannot be traced.

Somerville said chambers of commerce have been busy the past few weeks helping businesses make sense of the new programs and measures in place.

“Initially, there was a lot of confusion in the marketplace as measures were announced, but there’s clarity coming around those, which is good,” she said.

But Somerville said some businesses are still falling through the cracks in terms of support.

“We’ve got some sectors that are coming up — tourism, agriculture, aquaculture — that they’re seasonal, or there’s others that have long-term cycles that are going to be impacted down the road,” she said.

“We have to make sure that those industries, that are huge contributors to our GDP, are supported as well.”

With files from Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.