Restaurants scramble to prepare for full reopening
Posted October 23, 2021 6:30 pm.
Last Updated October 23, 2021 6:38 pm.
We now have a clearer picture as to how pandemic life could end in Ontario, and it begins with restaurants, gyms and businesses preparing to operate at full capacity on Monday.
After turning customers away for nearly two years due to rolling closures and restrictions, those industries are about to get a desperately needed boost.
Dimmi Bar & Trattoria in Yorkville is among the thousands of establishments getting set to host a full house for the first time since the pandemic began.
“As of a Monday we can go back to 80 people,” said owner Raymond Commisso. “So those other 40 people make a big deal for us.”
Commisso predicts the loosened restrictions will help his business survive the coming months.
“If this wasn’t going to happen, I wasn’t sure I was going to get through this winter.“
But challenges still lay ahead, as staffing shortages continue to be a hurdle for many restaurants. Commisso says he’s still short twelve staff leading up to the full reopening.
“That’s a lot of staff for a little place like this,” Commisso told CityNews.
“I have some family members that, when we work, we do the work for three people each.”
As of Monday, restaurants, gyms, salons, museums, galleries, casinos and other businesses requiring proof of vaccination can operate at full capacity. By mid-November wedding receptions and night clubs will be added to that list.
On January 17, 2022, the vaccine certificate system could come to an end, and masks may no longer be required by the end of March.
On Friday, Premier Doug Ford said all those next steps will be data-driven and could be delayed if case counts or hospitalization numbers rise. But business owners are still welcoming the updated road map.
“It’s an exhale for sure,” said Berry Samuel, owner of InsideOut Health and Fitness.
“We’re seeing some of the light. We’ve been through a lot. We’re looking forward to lifting people up again in person.”
