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The Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia is calling on all Halifax restaurants and bars to close to diners for at least the next two weeks due to the increased number of COVID-19 cases in the area.
Gordon Stewart, executive director of RANS, said the association’s board of directors held an emergency meeting on Monday night and unanimously decided to make the closure recommendation to its members and public health.
Restaurants and bars have been a major COVID-19 transmission site in Nova Scotia for the past two weeks, and Stewart said consumer confidence was “wiped out.”
“It really hurt. Business has taken a sharp dip. But it’s more than that: we’re afraid the spread will get so severe that we end up like some of the western provinces right now,” Stewart told CBC. Information morning, referring to Manitoba and Alberta, which are experiencing an overwhelming wave of coronavirus.
Stewart said he will let the provincial government decide which geographic area to close, based on the current epidemiology. But it is expected to include downtown Halifax, which has been the epicenter of the province’s current coronavirus outbreak.
Public health has not yet approved the RANS recommendation. Chief Health Medical Officer Dr. Robert Strang and Premier Stephen McNeil will hold a COVID-19 briefing at 3pm today.
Stewart said the closing recommendation focuses on “full service” restaurants. He said he supports restaurants in hotels that stay open only for hotel guests and cafes that stay open for take-out.
The recommendations are not intended for the rest of the province, outside of HRM.
Thanks to the restaurants and bars that have already made the difficult choice to close dinner and to @RestAssocNS for this. We do our best to support them: gift cards, takeaway food, and a return promise when we can. https://t.co/d902Xh29Kj
& mdash;@MikeSavageHFX
Stewart said the shutdown will bring “many repercussions for operators” but expects it to be effective in slowing the spread of the second wave of COVID-19.
“It’s not really about the economy right now. It’s really about the health and long-term prospects of our communities,” Stewart said.
In recent days, many restaurants and bars in the Halifax area have already decided to close, some as a precaution and others due to possible exposure to COVID-19 on the premises.
Among them is The Old Triangle, where the owners voluntarily closed on Monday, only to learn a few hours later that they were actually the site of a possible exhibition.
“I honestly think it’s the right move,” Old Triangle co-owner Brendan Doherty said of the RANS recommendation.
“We’re at a critical point, so it makes sense to take at least two weeks … to reset and get back to where we’ve been.”
“We were very lucky [inside the Atlantic bubble] … and it would be nice to come back as soon as possible. “
Doherty said a government-mandated closure would help his business and others by allowing them to access additional rent relief through federal programs.
“It’s about cost savings during a closure and rent is the biggest cost we have to bear.”
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