With COVID-19 cases on the rise within Saskatchewan, Martensville has also seen an influx in local cases. Due to this, many businesses within the community have taken it upon themselves to make modifications to their procedures to help prevent transmission.
One example of this is Soul Power Fitness Studio, who has chosen to temporarily close down their studio, with their last day of in-studio classes being held November 21. Effective December 5, SoulPower Fitness will be closing down for a one month period, opening again on January 6. Owner/operator Rochelle Wotherspoon commented that, “Covid has gotten very close to home here very quickly afflicting friends and family, it breaks my heart. It does not feel right to be open for gathering at this time with this amount of local cases. We will continue to gather for our sweat and yoga sessions virtually at this moment.”
Meagan Barabash, owner of Bravo Dance Co. (BDC) in Martensville has suspended in-person classes for two weeks as of November 15. As per the BDC Facebook page, Barabash stated, “Although we have not had any studio transmission, we want to ensure we are a part of the solution, not the problem. Our sincerest hope is that our community will pull together and remember that we’re all in this together. Our actions impact others in a very large way.” They continue to run some classes virtually during this time.
Effective Monday, November 16, Phobia Auto Care decided to go back to no contact service indefinitely due to the rising cases of COVID-19. When asked what made them decide to go contactless again, owner Steve Cusson stated, “I chose to close the doors to keep my staff happy, healthy and safe. Going to a contactless system has been working perfectly with a smooth transition. The clients call, book the appointment, and drop the keys through the key drop. Afterwards the clients can call to pay over the phone or e-transfer. From there we arrange a key location for pick up.” Also, if debit is the only option they ask that you let the front desk know so they can discuss other payment options.
Another automotive repair shop in Martensville, Read Automotive, has gone back to contactless service as well. Owner Trevor Read stated that, “Our concern is always first and foremost the safety of our staff and clients. We are trying our best to adapt to this situation and have found our clients are appreciative of our efforts. Going contactless hasn’t interrupted our service. We, like everyone else, want to see things return to normal and are committed to doing our part.”
The Medicine Shoppe in Martensville has also decided to make changes to reduce in-person contact and therefore announced that they will be stopping flu shots temporarily due to the recent spike in COVID cases within the community.
Another local business that has made some changes is Lakeview Insurance, who will now be allowing two customers in the office at a time, while maintaining a two metre distance requirement. They are asking people to wait in their vehicles until one person leaves and then to give employees a minute to clean and sanitize their work station before entering the building. Sanitizing is being done between each customer and throughout the day.
This is just an example of how our businesses are stepping up for the community, and there are many more of our local businesses that are taking incredible precautions to help protect their staff and customers during this time. It is important to remember that these are the businesses that fuel our economy so as they continue to show their support to Martensville and the surrounding area, we, as a community, support them in return. Many businesses are offering curbside options or contactless service, have increased sanitization procedures and will provide a mask for those that do not have one. Be sure to ask questions if you are uncertain about precautions that are in place and take a moment to thank those that are working hard to keep everyone safe. We truly are all in this together.
