The CEO of the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce says he has "mixed emotions" over the plan to reopen the Ontario economy.
Rakesh Naidu is welcoming a plan by the province to allow retailers to open at 25 per cent capacity restrictions during the phased reopening, but heĀ believes there is a way for businesses to reopen safely.
The plan announced Monday by Premier Doug Ford will see the current state of emergency expire today. However, a stay-at-home order will remain in place until Feb. 16.
Regions will transition back to the province's colour-coded restrictions system over the next three weeks.
Windsor-Essex will find out next Tuesday which colour restriction the region will be in. If it's still grey, restaurants will be banned from offering indoor dining, while gyms and salons will stay closed.
Retail stores would be allowed to reopen with the capacity restrictions in place.
Naidu says the chamber hasĀ been asking for businesses to reopen with safety precautions in place.
"Even though it's only going to be at 25 per cent capacity, it is going to be something that is better than a complete shutdown," he says. "They have an opportunity to open up and do a little bit of a business. So we really welcome this."
Naidu says some other businesses have pivoted to sell in a different way, but it doesn't work for them all.
"For a lot of them it's just not possible. Whether it's personal care, salons, gyms, those are the ones that are very much affected," he says. "Restaurants, some of them are offering takeout but a significant number of them are not even able to do that."
The province will have an "emergency brake" in place to allow it to quickly move a region back into lockdown if necessary according to Premier Ford.