Executive Chairman and President, Loblaw Companies Ltd, Galen Weston said in Toronto, Canada that the improved weather condition and need to be comfortable are enough temptations for people to want to go out but social distancing and masks wearing are highly necessary to prevent the spread of covid-19.
While he used his personal experience to demonstrate the reality of what the pandemic had done to families in his regular update to millions of his customers, he emphasized that no one should let down their guards and that his companies are also striving to put everything in place for all of his colleagues.
Said he: “Last week I had the chance to see my parents for the first time since the lockdown began. We met briefly in their backyard. My father’s health is not good and my mother is still recovering from hip surgery she had before the lockdown, so they are both high-risk. I did my best to keep to social distancing, but it was tough. At one point my father struggled to take off his jacket. I sat in my chair, keeping two meters back, while my mother tried to help him. Finally, I decided to slip my mask on and go over to help. As soon as his jacket was off, I returned to the appropriate distance. The whole thing was so frustrating and awkward”.
He stated further that as the weather improves and certain lockdowns ease, many of individuals are thinking about how to get outside and expand personal bubbles bit by bit.
“What is clear is that we all have our own sense of the space we need to feel comfortable. We are a national company with thousands of grocery stores and Shoppers Drug Mart locations in thousands of communities. Until recently, we responded to Covid-19 by applying similar precautions in all stores. A quick, blanket response to the pandemic was right. Today, knowing that the situation is different province to province and city to city, we are now taking a more targeted approach.
“One frequent topic has been masks. Masks are now available to every one of our colleagues, no matter where they work. There are lots of parts of the country with no new cases, so we are not insisting on wearing them. But, we are watching hot zones very carefully, and requiring mask use in certain stores. For example, masks are mandatory for colleagues in our Fortinos, T&T, Loblaws and City Market stores in Toronto, and Provigo stores in Montreal. As we move forward, we will continue to scale our activities based on the local status of the pandemic and the advice of local public health authorities,’’ he said.
