The way Justin Ladha sees it, there’s good news and bad news in the latest lockdown for the St. John’s metro area’s business community.

“First of all, a lot of businesses, particularly small businesses, which comprise the majority of our membership, are in a worse financial position going into this second wave (of COVID-19) than they were going into the first wave,” said Ladha, the new board chair of the St. John’s Board of Trade.

“However, this is not March of 2020. We know a lot more about COVID-19. We do know there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, although we don’t know exactly when, but we do know it’s coming.”

There are vaccines, but there’s also knowledge. “Our businesses know what to do. There’s existing supports in place, but they were amazing at quickly developing online platforms, curbside pickup, advertising online and developing all the safety protocols to have their employees work under those circumstances to keep them safe. That’s all done, so they can react much quicker.”

That’s why Ladha, CEO of real estate and property management company KMK Capital Inc., feels it’s reasonable to think businesses can make it through this rough period.