COVID-19: Bars and restaurants ordered to close early, stop serving alcohol by 11pm

🕒 3.5 min read

Restaurants and bars across the province have one more restriction to deal with due to novel coronavirus. 

Due to a surge in new COVID-19 cases over the last five weeks, effective 12:01am on Saturday September 26, all restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and food and drink establishments in Ontario are required to stop serving alcohol by 11pm, with customers out by 12am. Businesses must close their doors by midnight and remain closed until 5am - takeout and delivery services however, are permitted during this time. Alcohol cannot be consumed on the premises by customers or employees after 12am until 9am. 

The Ontario government amended order O. Reg 364/20: Rules for Areas in Stage 3 under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020, to “tighten public health measures in response to the recent rise in cases of COVID-19.” The amendment includes the closures of all strip clubs in the province, and requires businesses and organizations to comply with “any advice, recommendations, and instructions issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health on screening for COVID-19.” The amendment was made in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts.

A news release issued by the government this afternoon included the impetus for the new measures: “Private social gatherings continue to be a significant source of transmission in many local communities, along with outbreak clusters in restaurants, bars, and other food and drink establishments, including strip clubs, with most cases in the 20-39 age group.”

This comes two weeks after Premier Doug Ford stated at a press conference, “It’s not coming from bars, not coming from restaurants, it’s coming from large gatherings be it weddings or parties or wherever but we have to be vigilant, we can’t let our guard down.”  

Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, said in the release, "Last week our government took immediate action to respond to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases, by setting new limits for certain social gatherings and organized public events across Ontario. As the number of cases have continued to rise, it is evident that despite the tremendous efforts of Ontarians further action is required to prevent the spread of the virus. On the advice of Ontario's public health officials, we are moving forward with these measures to help keep Ontarians safe by limiting the potential for exposure in locations where the current risk of transmission is higher, and to avoid future lockdowns. Protecting the health and wellbeing of Ontarians will always remain our top priority."

These additional measures and restrictions are yet another blow to an industry that’s hanging by a thread.

There is no indication how long this restriction will be in effect.
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