Charlottetown, PE- The Greater Charlottetown Chamber of Commerce issued the following statement regarding the new restrictions and public health measures announced on December 6, 2020:

“The new restrictions are tough news for our business community and all Islanders,” said Chamber CEO Penny Walsh-McGuire. “With that, we understand that this decision was necessary to get ahead of the evolving situation.”

The Chamber noted that this is incredibly challenging for retail and restaurant businesses who rely on the holiday shopping season for their revenues and to carry them through the winter months.

“We were relieved that retail shops have remained open, even at a reduced capacity of fifty percent,” said Walsh-McGuire. “Businesses have been through this before, and they will adapt and serve customers safely following the new health restrictions and protocols. We continue to ask Islanders to safely support local wherever and whenever they can.”

The Chamber noted new restrictions affecting businesses put in place as of December 7 at 8:00 AM for the next two weeks including:

  • No in-room dining at restaurants. Take-out and delivery can continue with enhanced precautions.
  • Gyms, fitness facilities, museums, libraries, bingo halls, and casinos will be closed.
  • Personal services will remain open for appointments only, and non-medical masks must be worn at all times by staff.
  • Retail stores and markets must reduce the number of people to approximately 50% of the retail space’s standard operating capacity and monitor entrances and exits to ensure that capacity is not exceeded.
  • For the full list of new CPHO restrictions, please click here.

“This will be a stressful time for businesses, but by following CPHO protocols, we can curb the spread and get through this together,” said Walsh-McGuire.

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For more information, please contact:

Sam MacPhail

Policy and Communications Manager

smacphail@charlottetownchamber.com

(902) 978-0058