Already out of breath, traders find it difficult to be forced to play the police by ensuring that their customers wear a mask in addition to being liable to fines if they do not enforce the instructions properly.
• Read also: Mandatory mask in closed public places, fines of $ 400 to $ 6,000 for delinquent traders
“We are in tabarnak. […] We have just passed through a difficult period where we have implemented health rules to reopen. There, they give us the responsibility of managing people with masks. It makes no sense, ”says Journal the CEO of La Vie en Rose, François Roberge.
On Monday, the government announced that the wearing of the mask will be compulsory in public places closed from Saturday.
Merchants will face fines ranging from $ 400 to $ 6,000, while consumers will be spared sanctions, at least until August 1.
Only to traders
For Mr. Roberge, it makes no sense to give fines only to traders. He says he is “shocked” by this news which places his organization and its employees “in an uncomfortable situation”.
“What I find deplorable is that it is the traders who are penalized and who will have to play the police. […] In the metro, will the authorities also impose fines on the Société de transport de Montréal for people who do not wear masks? ”Asked the businessman.
According to the CEO of the Boucher Sports Group, the government is going wrong by imposing the mask across the province. He believes that it would have been better to target regions as well as industries.
“There, we find ourselves targeting certain sectors where there was no problem. Also, I don’t understand that we don’t modulate regionally. There are exceptional results in certain regions, ”adds Martin Boucher.
The businessman believes that it will be difficult to track customers in stores to ensure that they keep their masks.
For Owen Stroll of Superior Pants in downtown Montreal, the mandatory mask rule goes too far.
He understands its relevance in public transport, but not in his deserted shop.
“You don’t see clients talking, you can’t hear what they say, it’s not a way of being in business, it’s annoying,” he says.
Financial difficulties
The Retail Council of Canada is concerned about the impact of this measure on businesses already in financial difficulty.
Some may be forced to hand over additional staff at the entrance to their store.
“It is certain that we are not happy playing the police. […] We will have to manage people who think that COVID-19 is a farce, ”said spokesperson Jean-François Belleau.
“For those who are medically exempt from the mask, will the government ask citizens to go and get medical certificates?”, He asks.
– With Hugo Duchaine
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