Rise in COVID-19 cases on P.E.I. creating problems for some businesses

Handling COVID-19 employee absences is the latest challenge some businesses are facing on Prince Edward Island.

While some were already dealing with labour shortages, the rise in COVID-19 cases across the province now adds another level of concern.

The province reported 1070 new cases in the weekly data released Tuesday. That is up 32 per cent from last week's COVID-19 new case count.

Angelique Deward is a hairstylist at Sherwood Styling Salon in Charlottetown. She said the business has been dealing with staffing issues throughout the pandemic, so the recent increase in positive cases is alarming.

"Honestly, we can't get enough staff right now," she said. "We've been understaffed for probably like a year and a half now and it's just been super difficult."

Deward said the salon is quite busy — which is great for business. But without enough staff, they're finding it hard to keep up with demand. 

She said when employees are off work with COVID-19, there's added pressure on the staff who are left working in the salon.

"When we feel like we have COVID, then we go and we test … but then we do have to be off for the week," she said. "It's just a mess because then we have all these clients that we're trying to put with everyone else, and it's just impossible right now," said Deward.

"It's just really tiring, like it's exhausting. We do want to try and cater to everyone, so we're trying to squeeze in as many people as we can."

Isolation requirements

New Brunswick dropped its isolation requirements a few months ago, and Nova Scotia ended its requirements Wednesday. P.E.I. still requires people who test positive to isolate for seven days. Those requirements are in effect until at least July 14.

Deward thinks it's time for P.E.I.'s isolation requirements for positive cases to end. 

"It's just going to come to a point in time that we just need to work," she said. "Like we'll be off for a couple of days when we're really sick, but there'll be no seven days off anymore."

Deward said she's not sure what more the salon can do to fix their staffing issues. Staff are already working longer hours and double booking clients to try to keep up.

She just hopes the increase in positive cases doesn't lead to another lockdown.

Robert Godfrey, CEO of the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce said he's heard from many businesses facing staffing shortages.

He said the resurgence in positive cases is something employers have noticed over the past few weeks.

"When you don't have employees you've got to find people to replace them, just like any sickness or any flu," he said. "But, we've gotten pretty used to this over the last three years, unfortunately."

Godfrey said employers are being innovative, trying to tackle what is a "new workforce era" by offering incentives and paying more to attract potential employees.

"People are doing what they have to do to backfill, and facing a labour shortage … it adds to that challenge," he said. "We're really hoping we can get to the other side of COVID-19, sooner rather than later."