COVID-19: Emergency orders extended, Toronto bars and restaurants to remain closed

🕒 4.5 min read

Yesterday, Premier Doug Ford announced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency orders have been extended to May 29. 

In accordance with the first stage of reopening, Ontario retailers with street entrances were allowed to resume in-store service yesterday. Yet many businesses remain closed, including Toronto restaurants, bars, cafes and other foodservice operations. 

As COVID-19 restrictions ease and restaurants reopen dining rooms worldwide, it will be some time before Toronto follows suit. 

Slow and steady 

Customers are settling in for dine-in service at establishments across the globe, including restaurants in Europe (FYI Sweden never closed) and the United States. The roll-out in Canada however, is measured:

·      Manitoba bars and restaurants were authorized to relaunch their patios on Monday March 4.

·      New Brunswick and Edmonton allowed restaurants, pubs and bars to reopen with limited seating capacity last week.

·      Restaurants, cafes, and pubs in British Columbia got the go-ahead to resume service yesterday, but must adhere to new health and safety regulations, including: “No more than 50 per cent of the usual capacity of patrons present at one time.”

·      An online petition launched last week to allow licensed bars, restaurants and patios in Quebec to open by June 1. At press time, the appeal has collected almost 15,000 signatures. 

In Ontario, eateries and shops have been permitted to be open solely for takeout and delivery since March 17. On March 27, licensed businesses were granted the right to sell liquor with food to go. While dining rooms and seating areas remain off limits for now, Mayor John Tory is looking into possible patio expansion. On Friday, he announced the cancellation of major festivals and events until August 31, including food-centric Taste of the Danforth, Taste of Manila, Jerkfest, and the CNE.

New world order

The days of crowding together at the bar, squeezing in at a corner table, cozying up to your date, are over. At least for the foreseeable future.

And though It’s unlikely bumper tables, noodle hats and life-size dolls will make an appearance in local establishments, partitions and other methods to enforce social distancing however, aren’t out of the question.

The old ways of dining out will be largely replaced with new protocols and tighter restrictions to help slow the spread of the disease: capacity limits, social distancing, sanitizing rules. You may be asked to wear a mask, have your temperature taken, sanitize your hands upon entry, perhaps even leave contact info. 

Challenging days ahead

Restaurants have already had to pivot numerous times during this global crisis. Many have not been able to pay their rent. Faced with social distancing rules requiring the reduction of customers and tables in the dining room, and new challenges such as how to properly wash dishes in the time of COVID-19, it will be a struggle able to remain open.

Others have decided to remain closed, and some have shuttered for good, including long-standing haunts such as 37-year-old Southern Accent and Vesuvio Pizzeria & Spaghetti House, founded in 1957. 

Despite the devastation across the industry, good things are happening: new businesses have either launched or are about to, and local eateries are rapidly returning to operations. But they cannot survive without your help. Show your support by ordering takeout and delivery whenever possible.

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UPDATE: Wednesday, May 27, 2020: The orders were extended again for another 10 days, in effect now until June 9, 2020.

As the current landscape is changing dramatically and swiftly, follow Toronto Restaurants on Instagram and Facebook for breaking news, visit the website for timely COVID-19 updates, and subscribe to the newsletter.