Further COVID-19 restrictions for Nova Scotia: Retail limited to one shopper per household

Effective at 8:00am on May 8, 2021 the government of Nova Scotia will increase restrictions on retail by limiting Nova Scotian families to one shopper per household. Retailers will be asked to remind shoppers of this rule upon entry to a retail store. Exceptions will be made for children and caregivers.

The government is also advising mass merchant and grocery retailers to take additional steps to remind their customers that,

Purchases should be limited to essential items only.
Customers should enter a retail store with a plan of what they need to purchase so as to limit their trips to / time in a retail store.
Customers should consider ordering online for pickup or delivery whenever possible.

Government inspectors will be visiting retail stores in the coming weeks thus, retailers are encouraged to take action (e.g.: signage, increased presence at retail entrances and/or on the sales floor) to ensure awareness of the latest advice from government.

Retail Council of Canada continues to advocate for all retail to be allowed to welcome customers in-store but with capacity limits. Given the rising COVID-19 case numbers, the government is unwilling to consider RCC’s argument at this time.

Background

See Nova Scotia government press release.

Nova Scotia’s daily COVID-19 cases continue to set provincial records thus, the provincial government also announced further school closures and border restrictions. The border restrictions will not impact the movement of commercial goods.

If retailers have questions related to the enforcement of COVID-19 restrictions or if they experience difficulty in dealing with non-compliant customers, they can call the Nova Scotia Department of Labour at: 1-800-9LABOUR (1-800-952-2687).

Reminder: All retail stores can continue to do business through online ordering for pickup or delivery. Retail stores that primarily offer products and services that are essential to the life, health or personal safety of people and animals can continue to provide limited in-person service only to a maximum of 25% of the store capacity in order to limit the number of people inside the store. Essential product categories are: