Businesses rally to build public confidence as COVID-19 restrictions ease

Organizations representing well over 100,000 companies are coming together to launch a Canada-wide COVID-19 awareness campaign to help keep customers, employees and communities safe as the economy restarts.

The “POST Promise” calls on business owners and managers across in the country to uphold five key steps to help stop the spread of the coronavirus: maintaining physical distance, washing and sanitizing hands, keeping workplaces clean and disinfected, staying home if unwell, and practicing respiratory etiquette, including wearing a mask when recommended.

By displaying the “POST Promise” logo, participating businesses can reassure customers that they are doing their part to help protect Canadians’ health and safety as COVID-19 restrictions ease.

“Public confidence is essential to a successful economic restart,” said Goldy Hyder, President and CEO of the Business Council of Canada (BCC), which helped spearhead the initiative. “By following the advice of health officials and actively committing ourselves to the fight against COVID-19, we can reassure Canadians that business owners and managers are working to mitigate risk and get the economy moving again.”

In addition to the BCC, the founding sponsors of the POST Promise are the Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada (BOMA Canada), the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the Canadian Global Cities Council, the Retail Council of Canada, Restaurants Canada, Medcan, and SALT XC.

The POST Promise program will be overseen by a non-profit corporation governed by a small group of members representing the founding sponsors and health experts, with pro bono services provided by McCarthy Tétrault.

There is no charge for businesses to make the POST Promise. Participating firms can purchase additional marketing materials to amplify their commitment for a nominal charge.

The POST Promise (the acronym is short for “People Outside Safely Together”) is designed to complement existing government and public health initiatives during the post-lockdown period until an effective COVID-19 vaccine or treatment is widely available.  The five key steps at the core of the POST Promise were created to be consistent with recommendations of the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Participation in the program is voluntary and does not constitute certification or approval by any government authority or regulatory body. Rather, it is a way for businesses to demonstrate to their customers and staff that they are aware of the risks posed by COVID-19 and are doing what they can to help slow the spread of the virus.

Details on how a business can make the POST Promise can be found at www.postpromise.com.