The Executive Director of the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce says local businesses are breathing a sigh of relief after the province released guidelines on reopening the economy.

Speaking on NL Newsday, Acacia Pangilinan says businesses are still waiting for some specific details with economic activity set to pick up by the middle of this month.

“You know, at a high level, I think that this is a good positive step forward,” she said. “Our business community has show tremendous patience and resilience over the last few weeks, so we’re really looking forward to ramping up economic activity while keeping our employees and customers safe.”

Pangilinan says businesses are still looking to government for more clarity around the rules, noting that whatever health protocols are put in place, it should be practical and easy to follow.

“You know, I’ve heard the restaurant association has done a really good job of starting to put together best practices for their companies, and I know many other industry associations are doing the same thing,” Pangilinan said.

“So I give a kudos to the government because they recognize that they are not the experts in industry and so they’ve called on them to help build a plan.”

She says over the past few weeks, the Chamber has been working closely with members to address both their concerns and needs moving forward, noting that supporting local businesses in opening safely is going to be critical.