Businesses in the province recently weighed in with their thoughts on the Government of Saskatchewan lifting COVID-19 restrictions on July 11.
These thoughts were shared thanks to a survey done by the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce. A total of 355 businesses to share their input on topics such as the timeliness of restrictions being lifted, how their business will respond, whether or not their business will recover to pre-pandemic levels, and plans for returning employees to the workplace.
The survey was conducted through InputSask, a Saskatchewan business-focused input community that provides timely and accurate insight into Saskatchewan businesses’ key issues.
Forty-nine per cent of respondents believe July 11 is an appropriate date to lift all restrictions, 24 per cent think it is too early, 16 per cent think it is too late, and 12 per cent are unsure.
Seventy per cent of respondents plan to continue enforcing either all or some COVID-19 protocols (i.e. physical distancing, mask-wearing, sanitizing, etc.) after restrictions are lifted.
Other highlights include 68 per cent of respondents feeling that their business is fully prepared for all restrictions to be lifted, with 25 per cent expecting to not expect to recover, and 21 per cent are “unsure.”
When it comes to these business’s employees and if their staff are currently working from home and if they expect them to work from home or not, 28 per cent of respondents will give staff the option to work from home or from the office. Sixteen per cent will have all staff return, 15 per cent will have staff will return gradually, with 4 per cent have their staff continuing to work from home. The remaining 37 per cent of respondents said that their staff have never been able to work from home.
The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce strongly encourages all Saskatchewan businesses and residents to continue using all tools available like getting fully vaccinated, social distancing, and rapid testing.
