(Mat Barrett/northeastNOW Staff)

By Mat Barrett

Mark of Excellence Awards

Humboldt Chamber of Commerce’s Mark of Excellence Awards postponed due to COVID-19 concerns

Mar 17, 2020 | 5:00 PM

The Mark of Excellence Awards hosted by the Humboldt Chamber of Commerce has become the latest event postponed or cancelled as a result of concerns around COVID-19.

The Saskatchewan Government recently put a ban on events hosting over 250 people, which would include the Mark of Excellence Awards. Executive Director Brent Fitzpatrick said there would’ve been close to 300 people at the event, which would have made it difficult to keep up social distancing.

“There’s just no way to be 100 per cent certain that was going to be a safe room,” he said.

Fitzpatrick said while there isn’t a new date for the event, the Chamber still hopes to hold the Mark of Excellence Awards.

“We want to have a look at it in April,” he said. “And if worse gets to worse, we’ll have to come up with an alternate way to make sure those awards are handed out.”

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One possibility mentioned by Fitzpatrick was some sort of ‘remote’ way to hand out awards to the respective businesses.

Outside of the Mark of Excellence Awards themselves, Fitzpatrick said the concerns around coronavirus have “refocused” the Chamber.

“Small businesses, they’re still open,” Fitzpatrick told northeastNOW. “It’s just not business as usual. It’s, we’re now going to do business that’s in a safe and very prudent way to make sure that their clients’ needs are met.”

He said businesses are worried about what’s going to happen personally and business wise in the next few months. The Chamber is starting to put together ways for businesses to work together to make sure their clients are still taken care of. He encouraged people to continue shopping local.

“The time for individual profiteering and going ahead, that’s passed,” Fitzpatrick said. “We need to now help survive our business communities.”

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6