SAINT JOHN -- New Brunswick is now in the second phase of its COVID-19 recovery plan – giving the green-light to retailers, restaurants, and other establishments to reopen.
At Wild Flours Sweets and Treats bakery in uptown Saint John, owner Sarah McNulty is cooking up a plan for when and how to fully reopen her business now that the government has given permission.
"We may stick to curbside pickup for a little while; it seems to be working this weekend. Until things are more loosened up, we may do it that way," says McNulty. "We'll be working on our plan over the next couple of weeks and the changes we're going to make."
On Friday, the New Brunswick government announced it had moved into phase two of the recovery plan, which includes the reopening of various businesses frequented by the public. However, the province says owners must be prepared and meet guidelines.
"We probably won't have seating inside for a while," says McNulty. "And staff; we usually stagger our shifts anyhow because it's so small in here – we'll definitely not all be in here at the same time."
For establishments like Saint John Ale House, which closed in mid-March, the announcement means it's go-time.
"It's time for us to open back up," says Saint John Ale House owner and chef, Jesse Vergen. "It's time for us to put all the different things in place that we're going to need to be safe."
Vergen says his business is aiming to reopen for June 1; however, Saint John Ale House's take-out and quick-service restaurants will open before that.
Vergen says this pandemic has 'decimated' the restaurant industry – which is already a tough business.
"It's like every restaurant is opening new for the first time," says Vergen. "They're going to be implementing protocols that they've never had to utilize before; they're going to be working with new systems, which may be understaffed because they can't do the social distancing."
As businesses reopen, Vergen encourages patience from customers as his restaurant and others in the community work to re-establish themselves.
Meanwhile, the province notes that businesses don't have to be inspected before reopening; however, they will be required to create an operation plan that can be provided to officials upon request.
