Halcyon Hot Springs Resort general manager Sandra Gregory said she and her staff have received threats from the public as they continue to work during the COVID-19 crisis.
While many people think the resort has been running all of its spa services during the crisis, Gregory said the only thing that has remained opened for guests is chalet rentals.
Gregory said one of the most recent threats impacted many of her staff.
“The threats were significant. We had someone come on our property and take pictures of my staffs’ license plates,” said Gregory. “The person then tried posting pictures of the plates online.”
Gregory said she’s also received threats from people over the phone.
“I’ve also received three of four voicemails from people telling me how disgusting I am as a person,” said Gregory.
“That was quite a shock to me.”
Gregory said at least one of her employees has also been harassed outside of the workplace.
“One employee told me that they’d been in the grocery store and someone actually held their breath as they walked passed them because they found out they were working at the resort,” said Gregory.
After all the incidents, Gregory said her staff have been afraid to drive around in the resort’s work vehicle.
Despite the backlash, Gregory said she’s just trying to keep her business afloat for now — particularly since it has lost 85 per cent of its revenue since the beginning of March.
Gregory said she’s also had to lay off 95 per cent of her staff during the COVID-19 crisis.
Despite the public backlash, Gregory said she and her remaining staff have gone above and beyond to mitigate the threat of COVID-19 at the resort.
“From the start, our business has discouraged visitors from going to Nakusp or other local communities,” said Gregory. “We’ve also isolated our own staff and put in social distancing measures at the resort.”
Gregory said she’s also added additional cleaning procedures and screening policies for visitors coming to the resort.
The resort has also been following recommendations from Interior Health to make sure its safety standards are up to par, according to Gregory.
Gregory emphasized that she’s also only taken a couple of reservations over the last month while major renovations occur at the resort.
Ainsworth and Nakusp Hot Springs closed over a month ago due to the COVID-19 crisis.
READ MORE: Halcyon Hot Springs under new ownership
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