Battlefords Chamber of Commerce Chief Operating Officer Linda Machniak, left, and Director Warren Williams, right, shown with Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce CEO Steve McLellan, centre. The local chamber is encouraging businesses to contact the chamber if they need any information during the COVID-19 pandemic. (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Business matters

Chamber helping businesses with questions during COVID-19 challenges

Mar 23, 2020 | 3:24 PM

The Battlefords Chamber of Commerce wants businesses to know the chamber remains open to help address any of their concerns or needs during the COVID-19 situation.

On Friday in consultation with the Minister of Health, the province announced in a statement a number of restrictions and closures affecting businesses. One restriction is public gatherings of more than 25 people in one room are prohibited except where two-metre distancing between people can be maintained, in workplace and meeting settings where people are distributed into multiple rooms or buildings, and at retail locations such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and gas stations.

The province also announced the closure of all nightclubs, bars, lounges and similar facilities. Take out of alcohol or food products is permitted with two-metre distancing between customers, as well as delivery of alcohol or food products.

Effective today March 23, the province closed restaurants, food courts, cafeterias, cafes, bistros and similar facilities, with the exception of take out with two-metre distancing between customers during pick-up; drive-through food services; delivery of food products; soup kitchens, not-for-profit community and religious kitchens with two-metre distancing between tables. The closure of all recreational and entertainment facilities including fitness centers, casinos, bingo halls, arenas, curling rinks, swimming pools, galleries, theatres, museums and similar facilities. Personal service facilities such as hairdressers and barbers are closed.

All dental, optometrist, chiropractic, registered massage therapy and podiatry clinics are closed except for non-elective procedures.

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All daycare facilities are limited to maximum of eight children unless they can configure the facility so that a maximum of eight children are kept in the room and be in accordance with the Saskatchewan child care guidelines for care.

“The province obviously as they indicated in their press conference on Friday, noted they are taking the best information from science and from the public health officers,” Battlefords Chamber of Commerce Chief Operating Officer Linda Machniak said. “I think everybody in Saskatchewan – business, or resident or employee – all of us need to take it seriously. I suspect that’s what the government is doing, and it’s what they are encouraging us to do.”

Machniak wants businesses to know they can feel free to contact the chamber if they have any questions.

“The Chamber of Commerce is still open for businesses to know and to get information,” she said. “We’re working really hard here to disseminate information to businesses.”

While currently the chamber is busy providing information to its members, she said if any business owner is not sure how to access government programs or what information they might need, they are welcome to call the Battlefords chamber for assistance.

“We’re happy to try to direct them or connect them to the people and the places they need to get to,” Machniak said.

“Our work right now is very busy trying to disseminate information and to help members through some of the decisions – the very difficult decisions they have to make on employees, on H.R. [Human Resources] issues, on lots of different things,” she said. “There is lots of information yet that needs to come out from government on how the programs are going to work and so on. So we’re still here trying to share information with people.”

Members of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce (SCC) said in a statement it “applauds the premier, cabinet and the entire Saskatchewan government for their tireless efforts in dealing with what has been an unprecedented situation. “

“We are confident that while the world is facing enormous challenges right now, our collective strength will serve us well and we will get through this,” SCC CEO Steve McLellan said.

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow