Task force to recommend mandatory masks for customers, additional safety measures
Written by Paul Graif on 5 June 2020
Additional safety measures for shoppers and retail establishments in Kahnawake are coming down the line, says Commissioner of Public Safety, Lloyd Phillips.
Measures include requiring customers to wear a mask while shopping and asking busy establishments to install a doorperson to ensure customers wash their hands and that the proper number of shoppers allowed in the store is maintained.
“We’ve seen some of the recommendations that people have put out there in terms of additional safety measures,” said Lloyd Phillips in a daily briefing on Friday. “We discussed today at a full task force meeting and we’re going to have some directives that will be recommending a few things.”
The announcement comes following a rocky start to Phase 1 reopenings in Kahnawake.
“Obviously Monday was a hectic day,” said Phillips. “We were anticipating an influx but, to be quite honest, I didn’t anticipate it to be as much as it was.”
Phillips said Peacekeepers got involved to ensure the situation was managed as effectively as possible and that stores gained their footing throughout the week.
“If Tuesday had looked like Monday, definitely the task force would have had to step in and consider rolling things back,” said Phillips.
Phillips said inspectors will be conducting ‘spot checks’ of retail establishments to ensure COVID-19 safety measures are being adhered to.
“Just because somebody was inspected prior to opening, [inspectors] have done repeated spot-checks to ensure that people are abiding by the measures,” said Phillips.
