Preliminary results show 44 per cent of businesses in Saint John, N.B. region will keep some restrictions: survey

New Brunswick will soon lift pandemic restrictions New Brunswick will soon be lifting pandemic-related restrictions but not all businesses are ready to remove them.

Hundreds of businesses in the Saint John, N.B., region have already responded to a recently-launched survey which asks what COVID-19 precautions, if any, owners and operators plan to keep when the province lifts all restrictions.

The preliminary results from the Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce survey shows that about 56 per cent of respondents plan to remove all of their pandemic-related precautions, while 44 per cent say they will keep some in place.

“Of those that are going to put protocols in place, 71 per cent of those are going to use masks,” says David Duplisea, CEO of the Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce.

“Now, the other side of that were vaccinations – how many are going to look at vaccinations and that was the lowest.”

New Brunswick will be removing all remaining COVID-19 restrictions on March 14, following the lifting of proof of vaccination requirements at the end of February.

Saint John barbershop owner Blaine Harris will be removing the mask requirement at his west side business when the time comes – something that he says comes as a relief.

“We’re very much looking forward to this time as getting back to a sense of normal,” says Harris. “Being able to communicate with people, and being able to see people’s faces. For the last two years, all I’ve seen is eyes.”