Questions are being raised by some restaurant operators about their recent closures.
Dining in is not permitted while under new protocols at Level 3 of the COVID-19 winter plan.
Vice-President for the Atlantic Division of Restaurants Canada Luc Erjavec says they’re trying to understand the reasoning.
“Why should a restaurant be closed while you can still freely go to the mall and buy a pair of shoes? Those aren’t essential issues either. If it is about public health and you’re shutting down non-essential things, why is a shoe store or a jewelry store essential, while a restaurant isn’t?”
Erjavec says it just really doesn’t make a lot of sense for operators, “Operators would like to see businesses treated similarly. We are working hard with the strictest protocols. We have barriers, we have cleaning and we have vaccine passports.”
He also questions why some retail shops aren’t required to ask for proof of vaccine, “Why don’t you have to show your passport to go into a liquor store? It just doesn’t seem fair that our restaurant operators are bearing the brunt of restrictions, bearing the brunt of financially impacts.”
Under Level 3 restrictions, food can currently be served via takeout, delivery and pick-up.
Erjavec says, “The restaurant industry is one of the favourite activities of people to celebrate, hang out with friends. We play an important role in the community so it will take a couple of years to build back up some of the confidence, pay some of our bills, and become a sustainable, viable industry again.”
