TORONTO, April 3, 2020 /CNW/ - CAFE has been a pioneer and advocate for community safety and public health from the day it opened its first store front at 66 Fort York, and has focused on this as a core value of its mission and vision throughout its three and a half year tenure as a legacy cannabis brand. Through conscious store design (which includes a negative pressure sales room to circulate clean air), proactive customer communication, education on responsible use, and active community involvement, CAFE is proud to consider community safety as a primary pillar of its corporate mission.

"The writing was on the wall at the beginning of March" says David Shuang, Head of Public Relations for CAFE.  "We knew we had to immediately get our protocols and messaging in place to maintain maximum safety for our staff and our patrons. There was a good chance that our category of business would be qualified as an essential service, giving us an immense responsibility to care for and maintain operations for our customers who rely on us, especially underserved medical patients."

By immediately implementing forward thinking strategies almost two weeks before the Emergency Management Act, CAFE has successfully limited staff exposure, with no confirmed cases linked to CAFE establishments.

• March 13, 2020      
• Staff training and protocol updates implementing CDC recommended procedures
• Full time sanitizing teams hired and deployed
• Halted child safety bag recycle program to limit intake of previously used products 
• Line management queue and pager system implemented
• Updated sick leave and paid-time-off policies to staff
• March 14, 2020      
• Email newsletter updating customers with CAFE's response to health & safety Caring for the CAFE Community
• March 15, 2020      
• Website updated with CAFE's Community Safety Response
• March 17, 2020      
• Expanded delivery zones implemented to serve more   customers outside of store fronts
• Outdoor signage updated encouraging delivery, in-store pickup options
• March 18, 2020      
• Additional training for staff and personnel, underscoring repeating health and hygiene protocols
• March 20, 2020      
• Implement social distancing guidelines from W.H.O. Security to maintain less than 50 persons on premise at all times
• Removed all seating areas to limit group interaction
• March 21, 2020      
• Email newsletter communicating free delivery to those over 55+ years of age to support at risk populations in social distancing
• Reduced delivery to $10 flat fee, reduced minimum order, and increased delivery radius again to provide accessible delivery options to more customers
• March 22, 2020      
• Bathrooms closed to the public until further notice
• March 23, 2020      
• State of Emergency Declared, Emergency Management Act implemented
• March 30, 2020      
• State of Emergency extended through April 13

Long time supporter, MMA Fighter and cannabis advocate Elias Theodorou commended CAFE's commitment to safety and the need to remain open. "I am a staunch believer in cannabis' classification as an essential service and support CAFE and their amazing team as they continue to provide for the community's needs during these unprecedented times."

CAFE will continue to implement new strategies as they become available in the fight against COVID-19, in addition to integrating the principals as outlined in the Emergency Management Act of Ontario.

SOURCE CAFE

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