Now Chamber of Commerce joins petrol dealers in full retail call

The Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) is appealing for a review of the COVID-19 protocol that continues to place extraordinary limitations on the operation of businesses on Sunday.

Chamber president Trisha Tannis on Thursday argued that with improvement to the country’s COVID-19 situation, the protocols are now only serving to dampen business in an environment that is becoming more expensive.

“We are at the point where we should be able to say, particularly seeing certain other business activities reopened, that certainly, we have to look and question whether this directive with respect to trading on Sundays is still serving its purpose. We are of the view that it probably is not at this time, and therefore there is no good reason why we should not be resuming trading on Sundays for those entities that wish to do so,” Tannis told Barbados TODAY.

“Meanwhile, we still do have a very high cost of doing business. Some of them, particularly the gas stations, may have an even higher cost of doing business after the minimum wage order was enacted in April and therefore, every opportunity that they need to actualise more revenue to assist them with more overheads would be welcomed,” she added.

Attorney General Dale Marshall on Monday rejected a call from the Petroleum Dealers Association of Barbados to allow service stations to sell food items on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

The association however declared that even after sending home some of its employees due to pandemic losses, the shortfall on Sundays could see even more being placed on the breadline.

Currently, a range of businesses, including bars and restaurants, can re-open on Sundays, which Tannis contends is responsible in light of the COVID-19 low positivity and r-rates.

But she questions whether the Sunday measures are truly capable of addressing bunching and congregating when one considers the types of businesses allowed to operate.

“I can tell you it is most likely not with everything else that is already opening on Sundays. So again, the Chamber is calling for a review at this time and a holistic review to see whether or not the interest is still being served by closing on Sunday,” Tannis added.

The BCCI president also weighed in on a decision from authorities to withdraw from a plan to allow the opening of cinemas on Sundays. The decision was taken in light of an incident that unfolded at Olympus Theatres Sheraton Mall on Saturday in which scores of young people were captured bunching without masks and, in one instance, dancing closely on each other.

Despite intervention from law enforcement officials, Tannis acknowledged the need for businesses to implement controls both inside and outside of their establishments.

She, however, added that businesses and law enforcement officials ought to be allowed to ventilate and rectify their problems before “knee jerk” reactions from the government.

“I don’t know if it is necessary to talk about rescinding it. I would like to think that that would only come after a thorough investigation of the entities and their capacity to cooperate and control their operations within the guidelines,” Tannis said.

“Of course, there was a lot of pent-up demand. I’m sure with a lot of teenagers across the island, lots of youthful exuberance in terms of socialising and we understand that, and perhaps we should have anticipated it a bit more and taken the measures to suit. But I am pretty sure that corrective measures will be put into place swiftly,” she added.
(kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb)