Provincial Health Officer, Dr.Bonnie Henry announced that masks are mandatory in all public and retail spaces across BC yesterday.

For small business owners and employees in PG, this means a sigh of relief, according to CEO of the PG Chamber of Commerce, Todd Corrigall.

“It’s a positive step forward,” said Corrigall, “this is what our small businesses have been asking for.”

“There’s now a level of safety to ensure that we can slow down the spread of the virus for the sake of the economy,” he added.

Previously, the main issue facing small businesses when it comes to mandating masks was customers not complying, generating safety concerns for staff members.

“Staff of PG businesses are no longer put into a position where people who may not want to wear a mask are creating any noise or any issues for them,” added Corrigall.

He explained that overall PG customers have been compliant when asked to use masks but there has been a number of them that refuse to do so.

Prior to yesterday’s announcement, Henry admitted to being apprehensive about the policy as it could negatively impact certain groups such as the homeless population.

However, after hearing from representatives from the public and retail sectors across BC, her decision was made.