Restaurants and bars across Ontario are serving up their last meals Tuesday night before halting indoor dining as of Wednesday, all in an effort to curtail the province’s soaring COVID-19 cases.
Shopping malls and personal care services must reduce their capacity to 50 per cent, while other businesses like gyms will be forced to close.
The new measures are expected to remain in place for at least three weeks.
There was one final workout before the restrictions kick in at Kingston’s Hayabusa Academy for members of the martial arts and fitness centre. They’re making the most of it before doors lock for the next few weeks.
“Part of the reason why we’re able to come in here and train effectively is because we have a working hospital infrastructure and the lockdown is to support that hospital infrastructure,” says academy member Anton Thorson.
“So, keeping that in mind, it’s a small burden to bear overall in the grand scheme of things.”
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Meanwhile, at the Duchess Pub, part owner Troy Gadbois worries about the impact of more restrictions.
“It’s going to affect our business greatly, obviously, along with all the other sectors,” he says.
The restaurant’s noon crowd was arriving for what marks the last time, at least for a while, that patrons will be able to eat inside.
“Takeout. It’s death by a thousand cuts; hopefully it’ll pay some bills,” says Gadbois. “But it certainly, it’s not something we can subsist upon that’s for sure. But at the same point it’s going to get some people some hours, it’ll hopefully keep people working.”
Across town, Pita Pit’s Empire Court location is yet another restaurant that will be hurt by the restrictions.
While many think of this establishment only as a takeout place, there is seating, and not filling it means less money.
“We want to be a part of the solution, but at the end of the day, being part of the solution is going to hurt us,” says franchise owner and operator Trish Costa.
“The less people we have in our restaurants, the bigger the hit we’re going to take.”
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Back at the academy, like others, they’ll close their doors as they have throughout the pandemic, all in hopes of a better future.
“It’s not just about us,” says Hayabusa Academy co-owner Janet Wellstood. “It’s about the community, it’s about Kingston as a whole, and Ontario as a whole. We just want to see everybody be able to get back to a regular way of life and we’re willing to do our part.
“We’ve been pivoting through all of this and we’ll continue to pivot.”
