New COVID-19 restrictions a hard hit for London businesses, workers
CBC
As businesses prepare for the the province's latest COVID-19 restrictions to come into effect on Wednesday, some say its a hard hit for their staff.
"This shutdown is pretty much horrifying to me," said Jessica Stokes-Rees, a server at J Dee's Market Grill in London.
New rules announced by Ontario Premier Doug on Monday are intended to ease the effects of the Omicron variant on the healthcare system. They include take-out and delivery only for bars and restaurants, unless they can offer service outdoors.
Stokes-Rees said the $300 weekly income support offered to workers, as part of the federal government's Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit, can't cover her expenses.
"It's going to be really hard for servers," she said. "It's going to be hard for a lot of people. I've felt so sick all day."
Stokes-Rees is hoping the restrictions will be lifted in 21 days so she can continue earning money. Right now she's taking a break from a master's program at Western University after her father passed away.
The provincial government has given Jan. 26 as a possible end date but as previous lockdowns have shown, there are no guarantees.
The Ontario government is calling this a "modified version of Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen," which references a plan they released last year.
Fitness Forum owner Alec Pinchin said he was "very disappointed" to learn that gyms must shut down for the next three weeks.
"Every time that we close, we stop all membership payments, so our revenue goes to zero," he said. "And our expenses continue to roll on."
Pinchin said previous government support has been appreciated, but is not nearly enough to cover the ongoing expenses while the gym is closed.
"I'm optimistic it'll pass," he said, speaking of the pandemic. "I'd just like to see it pass quickly."
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