'Groundhog Day all over again': Capacity limits, restrictions return to Windsor-Essex

Windsor, Ont. -

Windsor-Essex is once again under tighter restrictions than most of the province, when the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s revised letter of instruction kicked in at 12:01 Friday morning.

The restrictions supersede the existing provincial allowances with additional measures, including:

• Social gatherings limited to 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors.
• Added measures for wedding receptions and the social events tied to funerals and religious services.
• Limiting indoor capacity for bars and restaurants to 50 per cent of their total occupancy.
• Strict adherence to face covering requirements in all public settings.

“These public health measures are required to try to bring the burden of disease to a more manageable level,” WECHU’s acting medical officer of health, Dr. Shanker Nesathurai told the media Monday.

And the timing is not good for restaurants during what is typically the busiest season for people dining out.

“It’s like Groundhog Day all over again,” says Mark Hawken, the owner of Walkerville Eatery.

He says in non-pandemic years, his restaurant typically booked about 25 holiday staff and family parties. This year, that number is down to about 20 per cent typical volumes, and this week alone, three more businesses have called to cancel their gatherings.

“They’re also worried about their business, their staff, their team and the perception that they have put upon them,” says Hawken, adding he’s working to educate people who call that despite the new restrictions, nothing has really changed and restaurants are no less safe than they were the day before.

“It’s a safe environment, the cleanliness hasn’t stopped,” he says. “We continue to hope people come through with those Christmas parties, and we’ll ensure a safe, enjoyable reward for those businesses, for their staff.”

At Twigg’s Bar and Grill in Emeryville, at least one corporate gathering has called this week to cancel their holiday gathering because of a corporate policy disallowing employee parties amid the new restrictions.

“Not a lot of that this year, because we found that they’re just not allowed to do it,” says Twigg’s owner, Melissa Popkey. “When these new restrictions come into place, it scares people away.”

Popkey says they will continue to follow the rules laid out by the province and local health unit, but admits it’s a tough pill to swallow.

“It’s unfortunate, especially right before Christmas. And then what’s going to happen in the New Year?” Popkey asks.

While the new restrictions don’t have an end date, Nesathurai says he’s hopeful they won’t last very long.

“I’m hopeful that 2022 will allow us to rescind some of the public health guidance that has been promulgated today,” Nesathurai says.