The Ottawa Chamber of Commerce wants the government to create an environment to keep the economy open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As Ottawa’s business resumes under Step 3 of the Ottawa-Ontario COVID-19 Economic Resumption Plan, the head of the Ottawa Trade Commission said that the COVID-19 vaccination rate would rise and that the business would be tested quickly. It suggests continued use and the possibility of a vaccine passport. You can prevent further lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

President and CEO Sueling Ching urges the government to develop policies and programs to live with COVID and keep the economy moving forward.

Ottawa and Ontario entered Step 3 of their reopening plan on Friday, allowing them to reopen their indoor dining rooms, cinemas, museums and fitness centers, as well as relaxing some restrictions on other businesses.

“I think there are many opportunities in front of me,” Chin said in an interview with Talk Radio 580 CFRA on Saturday morning when asked about Ottawa’s economic recovery.

“I think we’ve learned a lot of lessons in the last 16 or 17 months that we couldn’t learn otherwise. Now we have the opportunity to use them to move forward, grow and rebuild. The economy may even take advantage of new opportunities that probably never existed before. “

Earlier this week, Mr. Chin told Newstalk 580 CFRA that the Ottawa Trade Commission would support the idea of ​​a vaccine passport for non-mandatory companies in Ontario to show that customers and staff had received the COVID-19 vaccine. Told.

Chin told 580CFRA on Saturday that this is a “practical” time.

“We’ve been looking for policies and programs that will allow us to live with COVID for some time, so it’s not common sense (in some cases) to see a rise. After the summer, Everyone went back to school and restarted completely, but I learned a lot compared to this time last year, “says Chin.

“We have many companies that have introduced protocols to keep people safe, we have more information about what that means, the general public is that their actions I understand how it affects and we probably have tools like quick tests like vaccine passports – something we can implement.

“We are looking for an opportunity to create an environment where companies do not need to be blocked, and we do not want the harm of continuous blockade to begin to outweigh the actual harm of COVID-19 itself.”

Prime Minister Doug Ford said he was not in favor of non-essential corporate vaccine passports. Ottawa officials are discussing the possibility of setting up digital tracking for visitors and international travelers as well as at work, according to Chin.

This spring, the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce distributed a quick test kit to small businesses for staff to test.

“This is part of what we can do to build consumer and corporate trust by saying that we have plans to resume normal activities, and that’s part of our plan.”

According to Chin, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit entrepreneurs and businesses “the hardest hit” and the government needs to prevent the blockade from happening again.

“It’s just the stress and harm that has happened to our society and the economy as a whole, trying to implement measures to prevent the spread of COVID. Now that we have the vaccine, we have more knowledge. To take better action, we want to create an environment that keeps the economy open, “Chin said.

One lesson learned from the president and CEO of the Ottawa Trade Commission is that the economy can no longer be separated from public health policy.

“For the last 16 to 17 months, resilient businesses have been tired. What we really want is that we as residents and the government can continue with confidence. We provide some reasons for us to support them, and we will no longer lock them in. “

The Ottawa Chamber of Commerce encourages companies to integrate rapid testing into their plans in case COVID-19 cases continue to grow in the fall.

“We want everyone to think that it’s too late when the numbers start to grow when autumn comes, so make sure we keep following the protocol and use the means we have available. Please, everyone will double. In the fall, we have been vaccinated to put us in a better position. “

“When everyone returns to school, get ahead of the game. I hope it will be fully restarted.”