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Winnipeg businesses looking for more clarity on COVID-19 rules, enforcement

Click to play video: 'Manitoba businesses looking for more clarity on COVID-19 rules, enforcement'
Manitoba businesses looking for more clarity on COVID-19 rules, enforcement
Some Manitoba businesses have opened their doors after being permitted to do so Monday, however questions still remain about how retailers should conduct themselves in order to fall within provincial health orders, and what happens if they don't – May 5, 2020

Operating under a new normal means operating under a new, strict set of rules for both businesses and their customers.

But many questions still swirl around how these new rules will be enforced, and what to do if you see a business or customer breaking the rules by not following proper social distancing and sanitation protocols.

Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin says people can report incidents on the province’s health protection website.

“It’s the health protection unit, that’s for concerns related to businesses,” Roussin said Tuesday.

“That’s who can be called for that, and they do a lot of outreach, they do a lot of inspection, but they can also respond to significant complaints as well.”

The website allows you to file a complaint through an online form or call a number to leave a message for a public health inspector, which will be responded to on “case-by-case basis”.

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Many businesses told Global News they were unaware of who to call if they had concerns over customers or clients not adhering to the rules.

The Peasant Cookery in the Exchange District has currently opened their patio and is using a takeout window only with no servers. Some of the rules they have to follow include providing hand sanitizer and keeping patio tables and people standing in line six feet apart.

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General manager Thomas Johnson says if he had an issue with a customer, he would call the same resources he utilized prior to COVID-19.

“We’re really hoping that most people are going to comply and respect social distancing,” Johnson said.

“If not, [we would] contact the local Exchange District Biz, which has been very good in the past with coming by with any issues we have had.”
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Kayla Wan, who owns Loka Clothing & Accessories on Academy Road, says she is operating her business on an appointment-only basis.

“I feel like they’ve been giving us not a lot to go on; I feel like there’s not a lot of resources for us to reach out to in terms of how we go about reopening,” Wan said.

“Which is why I think a lot of stores, including myself, decided not to reopen right on the day that we were allowed to. [We’re] still trying to figure out what policies we need to put into place and again, finding the resources to do it appropriately so that we don’t get penalized by the government.”
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Wan says she has concerns about not being able to access required items like hand sanitizer.

“I think one of the guidelines was you have to have sanitizer at the entrance of your door, which obviously we all know is a very hot commodity at the moment,” she said.

“We’re kind of restricted in terms of being able to have access to the things that we need to have to reopen, which makes it very difficult for us to adhere to the guidelines and not get in trouble later if we do get audited and someone comes in [and says] you don’t have enough for employees and customers.”

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