SaltWire E-Edition

Local businesses transition to contactless services during second COVID lockdown

‘Not as overwhelming’

CHELSEY GOULD chelsey.gould@saltwire.com

TRURO — There was less of a panic this time around as Truro-area businesses adapted on Wednesday to Nova Scotia’s second province-wide shutdown since the COVID pandemic began.

The announcement was made Tuesday afternoon (April 27), for non-essential businesses to close their doors by 8 a.m. the next day. The lockdown is in effect until at least May 12.

Bike Monkey, a bicycle and hockey gear shop, had a smooth switch to contactless pickup.

“We did it a year ago, and we’re just adapting the same procedures that we had done, the same as last year,” said owner Jeff Simms. “So, not as overwhelming as it was last year, because we’ve got these procedures in place.”

Although closed for inperson shopping, the outdoor recreation industry is booming with people looking for things to do close to home.

“The only thing you can do is family and outdoor activities,” said Simms. “We’re in that wheelhouse, it’s really helped us.”

The morning before the shutdown announcement,

Yoka Japanese & Thai had already closed its dining room and shifted to takeout and delivery amid concerns about the rising COVID cases.

“It was too many cases, even the day before,” said owner Emily Zhang, who hopes things are OK after the two-week planned shutdown. “Dining is most at-risk, because people are taking off their masks and we’re in contact with them a lot,” she said.

The restaurant is popular for its all-you-can-eat lunch and dinners, and Zhang said she worries that will deter potential customers.

“If they aren’t able to do it, they might just wait until we open back up,” she said. “And, our takeout menus are more expensive, so they might not order so much.”

Alderberry Village, a craft co-op, switched to only offering curbside pickup and shipping after the announcement.

“It was not really a surprise,” said co-owner Carol Taggart. “And where we’ve done this once before, a year ago, you’re certainly almost ready to do it again.”

Taggart said their shop was in somewhat of a grey area, considering they sell essential goods such as food and personal care products.

“But yet, you don’t want to unlock your door and encourage people to just come in. So, it’ll be curbside pickup in the next two weeks, we’d rather be safe than sorry.”

The store does not have a website for shopping – products are changing all the time and maintaining one would be an investment. Instead, they connect with the public through Facebook live stream sales and are always open to requests through phone and email.

In some ways, the pandemic has shone the spotlight on local businesses. Many have seen a significant showing of people supporting local this past year.

“We can’t thank the public enough, because you can feel the difference, people are supporting in a big way,” said Taggart. “They’re really working on that.”

And business owners hope the two-week circuit breaker is effective enough for things to return to normal, minimizing revenue loss.

“It’s disappointing, but it also has to be done to try and get cases down,” said Simms. “Definitely, the next two weeks are probably going to be tricky, but when things open up, it’ll ramp right back up again.”

BUSINESS

en-ca

2021-05-06T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-05-06T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://saltwire.pressreader.com/article/281715502485273

SaltWire Network