Last week, the provincial government announced that due to declining hospitalizations, certain restrictions would be lifted. This includes permitting in-person dining as of Feb. 8 assuming hospitalizations remain below 600.
The guidelines in place are similar to those introduced back in November and limit six individuals to a table from the same household or two close contacts for those living alone. Liquor service must also end at 10pm and in-person dining by 11pm. A new requirement is for establishments to collect contact information from one person in the dining party.
Some restaurants have already announced that they will be opening on Feb. 8, including Braven and Dalla. Others, such as Pho Tau Bay, are gearing up to open in March.
Braven will re-open for dine-in on Feb. 8. (Instagram)
Other restaurants have announced that they will remain closed to in-person dining in spite of the change in restrictions, including Northern Chicken and Cartago.
"On Feb 8th we will not be opening our dining room. The reality is our restaurant is just too small to serve everyone safely. At the end of the day, the safety of our staff and guests is paramount," wrote Jack's Burger Shack on Twitter.
"We are suffering along with all other restaurants; we went from a bustling room to only being able to take 40 orders a night before we are sold out of pick times, to avoid overcrowding. Regardless of the impact, we will continue to only provide take out at this time."