As new information about the COVID-19 outbreak rolls out, some Vancouver Island businesses are remaining open, some are closing temporarily and many are trying to find a middle ground that allows them to continue to operate while keeping customers and staff safe.
Larger shopping centres are typically trimming hours while individual tenants decide how to proceed. And the situation keeps changing.
Especially vulnerable are small businesses frequented by local residents and tourists alike.
Across Canada, the Hudson’s Bay decided to immediately shut down for two weeks, at which point the situation will be evaluated. The closings affect the Bay stores in the Bay Centre on Douglas Street and Mayfair Shopping Centre, as well as the Bay at Woodgrove Centre in Nanaimo. All three shopping centres remain open. Customers can check websites for their hours.
While the Bay stores are shut, staff will be paid for all their scheduled shifts, company president Ian Nairn announced Tuesday.
Customers who arranged to buy online and pick up in a store will be able to collect their items at curbside, he said, adding some delay in delivering furniture and appliances is expected.
Customers can continue to have orders delivered to their homes through thebay.com. The company has also extended its return policy by 30 days.
Munro’s Books on Government Street is closing its store to browsing until March 29. “But so much is changing, we will probably have to reassess that,” managing partner Jessica Walker said Tuesday.
The store closed its doors early Monday and adopted its new regime on Tuesday.
“Certainly for us being downtown … there are fairly significant concerns about recreational traffic from Washington state,” Walker said.
The state’s death toll from the virus reached 50 on Tuesday, the highest in the U.S., and confirmed cases in the state now top 1,000.
Munro’s will have staff on hand for limited hours every day to answer phones and take orders, Walker said. Customers who are picking up a special order or want a specific book are being asked to telephone the store first to make sure a staff person will be present.
Munro’s online store is staying open and the company is offering $5 flat-rate shipping for anywhere in the province.
“So many customers have been really fantastic,” said Walker, who encouraged customers to watch Munro’s notices on social media for updates.
The store will be posting lists of recommended children’s books and highlighting products such as jigsaw puzzles.
Walker offers a silver lining to readers: “If you are having to self-isolate, there’s nothing better than to escape with a good book.”
The capital region’s tourism sector is taking a hit. Cruise ships have been banned from B.C. ports until July 1 following outbreaks on some vessels.
That loss will be “significant for us,” Walker said.
At Campus Honda on Finlayson Street, general sales manager David Glabais said that as of Friday, the company will deliver a new vehicle to a customer interested in purchasing.
“If they want to go for a test drive in a new vehicle, one of my sales associates will bring the vehicle to wherever they are, whether it be their work or their home.”
The company has implemented extra precautions, ensuring cleaning staff are carrying out additional and more frequent cleaning of surfaces that people touch, he said. Any vehicles loaned to a customer are also wiped down more extensively than in the past, he said.
Peninsula Co-op announced Tuesday that its food centre on Keating Cross Road will adjust its hours to 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The gas stations will be offering self-service only to reduce contact.
An increased cleaning regime has been imposed, with attention to areas such as counters, PIN-points, fuel nozzles, doors, handles on coolers and washrooms.
Indigo Books and Music, which has a store at Mayfair, announced it will close until at least March 27 to help keep employees, customers and the broader community safe.
The company said it will continue to serve customers through its website.
