Public health service and hospitality industry stepped up
/by Allan Melvin
Every business has its support system, its group that it relies on to keep things moving. For the agriculture industry, our support systems are usually made up of staff, suppliers, dealers, financial advisers, agronomists, etc. Throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve added two more to that list in Nova Scotia: Public Health and our hospitality industry. These are two key players that have made a world of difference, especially during the last few months.
On behalf of our industry, I thank Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health, for his leadership in guiding us through some of the most challenging times we’ve faced as a province. I also thank Public Health for the help and support they’ve provided the farming community. They’ve both worked diligently to address our questions and concerns, and provide solutions to our challenges. And they’ve done this while maintaining a high level of care to the rest of the province.
With the support of Public Health and the Department of Health and Wellness, our temporary foreign workers were included in Nova Scotia’s vaccine rollout and were able to book within their age cohorts. For the past few months, our farmers have been working with Public Health to get their workers booked in for vaccine appointments. In addition to this, Public Health has been working with our industry through the trialling of a vaccination process in which our workers receive their first dose of vaccine when they finish their hotel isolation. I’m truly grateful to our health-care system throughout this pandemic.
Another group that I tip my hat to is our hospitality industry. When people visit the Maritimes, they always rave about Maritimers’ hospitality, and I couldn’t agree more. Nova Scotia’s hospitality industry has truly stepped up and supported our industry.
With our workers entering the province now required to isolate in single hotel rooms, our working group began coordinating with several hotels across the province. The support from these facilities has been a tremendous help and they’re a great group to work with through these challenging times. They’ve gone above and beyond to ensure that the workers have everything they need for a comfortable stay, and have staff available to answer any questions they may have.
Hotel staff have worked hard to offer meals that the workers will enjoy and are culturally appropriate. They’ve been doing their best to make our workers feel at home during their stay.
If there is one thing this pandemic has taught us, it’s the importance of supporting one another. That includes supporting your friends, family, and neighbours. That also includes supporting local farms and businesses. We’re all in this together.
(Allan Melvin is first vice-president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture. He is part owner of Melvin Farms Ltd., a fifth-generation vegetable farm in Kings County.)
