Local greenhouses are applauding a decision by the province granting them essential service status during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Public health orders that came into effect at the start of April require non-essential businesses to close their doors in order to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Manitoba public health now says greenhouses and gardening centres can remain open to customers, provided physical distancing measures are in place.

Trevor Thiessen, the owner of Hillbilly Garden Centre in Morris, says that decision is a big relief for greenhouse operators across the province.

"The nature of what we do is very seasonal so we have basically two months where we do 100% of our sales. By allowing us to open for retail sales and actually allow people to be in and around the greenhouses is going to be huge."

Public health orders requiring non-essential businesses to close their doors were issued at the beginning of April and were extended to April 28.

Greenhouse operators will need to have physical distance strategies in place to continue operating.

Greenhouse operators lobbied the province for an exemption to that order, arguing that they provide a vital service to citizens. "Quite a few people rely on their gardens later in the season for their groceries and we can kind of relieve some of that stress if people can plant their own tomatoes and their own peppers and make their own pizza sauces and things like that," said Lucy Janzen, co-owner of New Leaf Greenhouse in Winkler. "A lot of people do rely on that kind of thing."

In addition to allowing people to grow their own food during the pandemic, Thiessen suggests that gardening can have a salubrious effect on people. "There's the mental aspect of gardening which for many people is a way to stay calm. Just being able to get in your garden and smell the earth and get your hands dirty, for many of us, it's quite soothing and that's why I think there are two sides to the importance of the greenhouse industry."

Gardening centres and greenhouses will have to put strict physical distancing strategies in place to ensure the safety of workers and patrons. Thiessen says they've already rearranged their greenhouse to allow for social distancing. "It will allow us to have a flow of clients through the greenhouse with signage directing people, limiting the number of people in at one time along with a hand washing station."

Lucy Janzen says greenhouse operators want to be part of the solution. "So we will be doing everything in such a way that people will feel safe coming into the store with limited numbers of people in the store at one time so that they can do their shopping safely."