Gearing up for Level 3, NLC and other businesses share plans to reopen doors

Life with COVID-19 is set to enter a new phase on June 8, and that will include in-person shopping at many stores for the first time since March.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation plans to reopen stores at Alert Level 3, as the province is poised to ease restrictions that day.

However, it certainly will not be business as usual.

In a press release Friday morning, the NLC said there will be limits on the number ofcustomers allowed inside at one time. The limit will be based on the size of the store, but will average around 10, says the NLC.

Stores will promote physical distancing, implement enhanced cleaning protocols, have Plexiglas at all registers, keep adjoining doors to other stores closed and start taking cash again. It expects to have the usual number of employees on site, and noted it's too early to say how sales will be affected by the reduced capacity but the extra cleaning will mean extra costs.

They'll stop taking phone orders when the bricks and mortar stores reopen, but online ordering will continue.

The Queen Street, Lake Avenue and Newfoundland Drive locations in St. John's; Centennial Square in Mount Pearl; Clarenville and Corner Brook stores will reopen after being closed entirely.

Customers aren't beingasked to wear masks, but that could change as the situation evolves.

When public health measures to control the spread of COVID-19 began in March, NLC outletsclosed apart from online and over-the-phone orders for contactless pickup at some locations,while Liquor Express locations remained open.

A new, and ever-changing,normal

Other businesses, from hair salons to thrift stores, are also outlining how they plan to reopen their stores, if the province moves to Alert Level 3 on June 8.

A St. John's-based photographer said, via a Facebook post announcing her restart on June 9, that while she looksforward to taking pictures again, it isn't a return to pre-COVID-19 normal.

"Our sessions will look a little different so that we can keep everyone safe. At the moment, this will be for outdoor sessions only," said Amanda Dinn in the post.

Previously Loved Clothes & Things, also based in St. John's, posted its changes on social media because, they said, they have been inundated with questions from customers.

"All staff and customers are required to wear masks," reads the message on the organization's Facebook page.

There will also be Plexiglasat each cash register, and dressing rooms and washrooms will be closed. There will be floor markings to identify six feet, and additional cleaning.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador