Good Morning All,
This has been a busy week as we've seen a few of our retail members slowly and safely open their doors.
Today I wanted to remind you of the current rules - there's a lot of guidelines and it's easy to miss something.
Social Distancing & Gatherings:
- This morning Mayor Tory reminded people that we are still maintaining the 5 people rule for gatherings and those 5 people all need to live in the same house. This means that, as much as we would all like to, we can't have people over to the backyard or front porch for a social distancing gathering unless all people involved live in your house.
- We must keep the 2 metre distancing rule in place - if we're in stores, parks, on the sidewalk etc.
- Today Ontario registered 441 new cases of the virus - this is the highest increase since May 8. If we are going to manage to flatten this darn curve we NEED to follow the rules. Dr. Tam has encouraged the use of masks this week. Yesterday I sent you all a video on how to properly use a mask - again, please share that video on your social media platforms so your customers know what to do.
Retailers:
- First I'd like to commend our retailers who opened this week for working hard to implement their safety measures so quickly. I know that this wasn't easy to do.
- Retailers need to remember that if you have a customer who comes into your store and touches or tries on an item and doesn't purchase it that item needs to be removed from your shelves/racks and basically quarantined for 48 to 72 hours. Some retailers have steamers and if you have a steamer you can steam the item (if appropriate) and return it to the shelf/rack right away.
Rent Issues:
June 1 is fast approaching and I know this is, once again, causing immense stress and concern. Please remind your landlords that the CECRA program will be open this coming Monday, May 25th.
We are continuing to push our elected officials to help in any way possible with the components of the program that are challenging. We are still pushing Premier Ford to enact a temporary moratorium on commercial evictions. Other cities are also pushing the Premier on this issue. Attached please see a release from the Mayor of Oakville.
Thanks,
Susan