THUNDER BAY — Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce President Charla Robinson says "there's a lot of concern" as the business community in the city starts to experience the impact of the coronavirus.
Traffic is down in the hospitality industry, and people are generally focusing on buying essentials right now, Robinson said Monday.
"We've already heard that restaurants, hotels, conference facilities are seeing reduced attendance, cancellation of meetings and events. People aren't going out to shop for non-necessitites. If you're going out to buy things, you're really going out to buy the things that you need today," she said.
The situation has prompted the chamber to launch a web page providing its members with a range of helpful information for dealing with the unprecedented global emergency.
It will include advice and links to a variety of sources including health agencies, government programs and how to access them, and information for employees.
Robinson said the feedback she's received shows that "clearly, businesses want to ensure they are taking the right steps to protect themselves, to limit the spread of any viruses. But they are also concerned what those impacts will be on their employees and their ability to stay in business. Because if you don't have clients and customers, and you're not selling, it's difficult to pay your rent and your employees."
The web page will offer guidance in how business operators can manage the changes in the marketplace.
Robinson said a number of chamber members have arranged for staff to work from home, but noted that it's much easier to do that if an enterprise is based on an office environment rather than a "customer-facing" environment.
Some businesses, she said, are also challenged with managing with less staff, as some have been out of the country, and are now required to self-isolate before returning to the workplace.
"We're trying to help them with the tools they need to prepare not only for today, but for what might be coming in the weeks and months ahead," Robinson said.
The chamber will provide more details on Monday afternoon.
