Etobicoke, Ont. pub reopens in defiance of restrictions while experts weigh new tactics to fight COVID-19
Global News
An Etobicoke, Ont. pub has reopened two days ahead of a planned easing of restrictions to protest the cycle of opening and closing mandated by the province.
An Etobicoke, Ont., pub reopened to indoor dining on Saturday in defiance of Ontario’s current COVID-19 restrictions.
“It’s a roller-coaster. You go up, you’re doing good, and then you’re back down,” said Colby Kriegl standing outside his business, T. J. O’Shea’s Irish Snug.
He said he decided to open his pub two days before dine-in restrictions are set to ease, in protest of the province’s on-again, off-again measures, which have made operating an “extreme struggle.”
“I would just like to stand up for all small businesses and give everybody a chance to say ‘we’re standing up and we’ve had enough and we need more help,'” he said.
Tatsu’s Bread, located a few blocks east, is taking a different approach. Following the rules is important, explained employee Taira Macdonald, but frequently-evolving restrictions have been “a little bit frustrating.”
Each time dine-in service is taken away, selling staple items like sandwiches and hot soup becomes more difficult.
“We would appreciate if we could keep the tables all the time,” he said. “It’s going to be better for us, obviously.”
As Ontario prepares to ease restrictions on Monday, allowing venues such as restaurants, gyms, and theatres to reopen with capacity limits, experts such as Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng are suggesting a need to move past lockdowns and instead “live with” the virus.