Allan Cockburn would be ready tomorrow to reopen his pub in Newmarket's downtown if it was allowed.
"I am itching to get back, and all my staff is ready to come back whenever they get the call," said the Olde Village Freehouse owner and vice-chair of the Main Street BIA.
"If they said on the news we could open tomorrow, I could make that happen. I've kept in touch with staff, I would just need to clean this place up."
He isn't the only one in the Newmarket business community eager to see the attention turn to reopening the economy.
With COVID-19 transmission rates declining and the provincial government allowing schools to reopen, the Newmarket Chamber of Commerce is ready to see the province begin working on reopening the economy. But chamber president Tracy Walter said the province must do it in a way that will prevent the need for going back into lockdown again in the future.
"We need a coordinated approach to reopening the economy and avoiding further lockdowns. So preparing our businesses to do things, and to do them well, and to do them right moving forward will be key. We can't keep having these rolling lockdowns," Walter told NewmarketToday.
"We are not at the (provincial) health table, so we can't really make recommendations about whether it is the time to open the economy or not, but we know that small businesses have been affected by this in a way big businesses have not."
According to Cockburn, the second lockdown has been "substantially worse" for his business than the first one. He has been trying to keep his business afloat with takeout, but orders are roughly 50 per cent lower than last time.
"I don't know if it's that the government isn't throwing as much money around or if people have just come up with a new system for getting through these times," he said. "This second-time-around has been real tough ... It feels like money is going out the door faster than it comes in. I'm sure there are businesses way worse off, like those boutiques that are forking out rent with zero income, at least I have a little bit."
To help the province come up with a reopening plan, the Newmarket chamber and its counterparts across Ontario released several recommendations today that they want to see the government embrace:
- A readiness plan with a focus on sectors and regions hardest hit, with a step-by-step process to help employers prepare properly.
- Advanced notice so businesses owners and their employees have sufficient time to prepare to get back to work.
- Clear guidelines so that everyone understands what the rules are and how they will be enforced.
- Fulsome communication through things like educational training via virtual workshops in advance of reopening to help teach employers how best to keep staff and customers safe.
- Workforce management systems such as a scalable digital software tool for routine self-screening and assessment by employees, as part of a comprehensive workforce management system.
- Rapid testing to get employees back to work quickly, ensuring continued productivity and reduced strain on families.
- Evidence-based decision making using a testing and tracing apparatus to accurately assess where and how the virus is spreading.
- Continued supports for those who need it most, including timely and accessible support to prevent further layoffs, closures and bankruptcies.
- Leveraging the private sector to support for things like vaccine distribution and deployment.
"We hope they will take these recommendations and, hopefully, help our economy emerge stronger and avoid further lockdowns," said Walter.
Cockburn said he is happy with these recommendations, even though he thinks York Region Public Health will have a greater influence on businesses like his in the long-run.
"I love the idea of trying to make sure businesses are ready. But I am ready already," said Cockburn.
"I feel that at the end of the day we are being handcuffed by the medical officer of health, Dr. Karim Kurji. He may be a little more conservative than others out there.
"I believe that we do need to get numbers down, but I also believe that I have to open up because I am bleeding."
Although Kurji recommended that York regional council not call on the province to end the lockdown expiring Feb. 10 — advice that councillors followed — the medical officer of health has consistently voiced concerns about the impact of closures on local businesses and the economy. His arguments helped delay York Region's move from the red zone into the grey lockdown zone last December, weeks after Toronto and Peel.
