WECHU holding firm, won’t ease restrictions on restaurants and nightclubs

Windsor, Ont. -

The Windsor-Essex Health Unit won’t be lifting its so-called “curfew”, which forces bars, restaurants and nightclubs to close at midnight.

“We wanna break the chain of (COVID-19) transmission,” says Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, acting medical officer of health.

Nesathurai says the data supports their decision to restrict bars, restaurants and nightclubs.

Prior to the Sept. 7, Letter of Instruction, Nesathurai says there were exposures at 44 local restaurants, which he says lead to 67 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

“Since the restrictions have come forth, that number has been reduced to six restaurants and associated with eight cases,” says Nesathurai.

The WECHU did not offer a timeline or threshold for when the restrictions might be eased.

On Tuesday, Matt Komsa, who is part of WKND Hospitality Group, launched a petition called “Cancel the Curfew”.

Komsa argues now that proof of vaccination is required to enter restaurants, bars and nightclubs, the curfew is no longer necessary.

“We have done everything they have asked, now please just let us get back to the Stage 3 Ontario restrictions set out by our premier that is active in all others regions in Ontario,” Komsa writes in a news release.

Komsa says he’s disappointed with the WECHU’s response to their petition during the health units’ briefing Wednesday.

“We’re looking for common sense answers to some common sense questions,” says Komsa.

He feels like the hospitality industry is being “punished” for high case counts and is being forced to shoulder the burden of curbing community transmission.

“We’re the only place in the province that doesn’t allow dancing and doesn’t allow service after 12 o’clock,” Komsa says. “That’s scary.”

He says one of his two downtown businesses is down 90 per cent.

“Downtown doesn’t start picking up until 11 o’clock,” says Komsa. “Our customers aren’t going to come downtown for one hour for entertainment. It just doesn’t happen.”

His county restaurants, The Goat Lasalle and Lakeshore are both suffering as well.

“We’re not able to show pay-per-view fights because the main event doesn’t start until 11:30 p.m,” says Komsa. “So we have to ask customers to leave before the pay-per-view is done.”

Nesathurai said Wednesday, “Windsor-Essex has been disproportionally affected by COVID-19 when compared to other health districts.”

WECHU says Windsor-Essex currently has the fourth highest case rate in Ontario and the third highest percentage of people testing positive in the province.

Nesathurai says he understands the restrictions are “challenging” to business owners, but says one of their main goals is to keep schools open for in-class learning.

“Keeping schools open to instruction is to contain COVID in the broader community,” says Nesathurai

WECHU says they will continue to re-evaluate local public health restrictions, which can only be eased if the local vaccination rate goes up amongst younger people.