The Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo is set to reopen its Burnaby location after it announced this week it would be opening its Western Canada stores under a whole new set of operating protocols.
The stores, which will open Thursday, May 21, have been closed since March 17 because of the risk that COVID-19 could spread among its staff and customers.
Shoppers will be greeted by hand-sanitizers stations at the entrance and cash registers of the store. Each counter at the checkout and fitting rooms has had protective acrylic barriers installed. Store capacity will also be reduced to maintain physical distancing. Customers will be asked to queue outside in the same distant way they do at the grocery store.
Fitting rooms will also be closed, and staff will be required to where personal protective equipment and have their temperature checked daily.
The store, located at Metropolis at Metrotown, is one of several getting set to reopen after the province's plan to re-open the province moved into Phase 2 Tuesday. That lifted operating restrictions that had been placed on restaurants, pubs and some personal and health services, like salons and dentists.
WorkSafeBC, the province's workplace safety agency, released guidelines last week ahead of the reopening.
The guidelines cover sectors ranging from restaurants to offices and retail, and include guidance on how many people can be inside a business at once and how to control entry and exit points. The safety agency said each business must have a COVID-19 safety plan in place and displayed before they open their doors.
— with files from the Canadian Press
