British Columbia Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced Monday that all gatherings should now have a maximum of 50 people.
“I know that will have an impact on many people, but we have also seen that businesses are taking responsibility, municipalities, other agencies are shutting down places where people are gathering,” Henry said.
This will impact many industries, including bars and restaurants who have already experienced devastating effects.
“Our volume on Thursday went down by 25 per cent compared to last year, on Friday it went down by 40 per cent compared to last year, on Saturday it was down 45 per cent, and yesterday it was down 51 per cent from last year,” said the owner of Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub & Guesthouses Paul Hadfield.
Just hours after Henry’s announcement, several local restaurants and pubs announced temporary shut downs of operations. However, the owner of Spinnakers says his operation will continue to run for the time being.
“We have accommodation here. So we have guests that we need to be able to take care of and the challenge is insuring that we’re able to do that.” added Hadfield.
Municipalities are now taking drastic action, Victoria announcing the shutdown of all libraries, while in Langford, several recreational facilities and services have been brought to a halt.
“We think the biggest thing right now is the social distancing. If you can make sure that you’re staying away from large groups. We have wonderful outside recreational facilities and trail systems like that in this region,” Chris Aubrey, the Langford Public Health and Safety Committee Chair.
Ben Nesbit
