The CEO of the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce says she expect to see a lot of innovation come out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sheri Somerville said consumer confidence has been shaken by the pandemic and businesses will have to respond to that.
“I think after this, we might see a lot of curbside retail, I think that’s what we’re going to see in the early days as people safely get their physical distancing at the retail outlets up and running,” said Somerville.
Some businesses are also turning to online as they look for new ways to do things, she said.
While many businesses have been forced to close during the pandemic, others like grocery stores and convenience stores remain open.
Many have taken steps to protect employees and customers like installing Plexiglass barriers and incorporating physical distancing.
Somerville said she expects many of those safety measures will stick around even after the pandemic.
“Consumer confidence is going to be key. People have to know and trust that they’re going to be safe when they’re going out. Life is going to be a little bit different for us all,” she said.
“Until we get a vaccine for this, we just have to recognize that our only protection against the reoccurrence of infection is to really take what the chief medical officer says seriously and protect our own health and respect the guidelines that the government puts out.”
