Hospitality lobby group questions two-metre restriction in restaurants
Members of the hospitality industry are asking government to think hard about the two-metre restriction currently keeping guests apart in Alberta restaurants.
The Alberta Hospitality Association (AHA), a newly formed group that advocates for restaurant and bar owners in the wake of the COVID -19 crisis, notes Canada has among the strictest distance requirements in the world.
At two metres, the restriction means that most restaurants can only seat customers at about 50-per-cent capacity or less, which makes it tough for some to open at all, and for others to make any money.
“We’re just trying to support restaurants in any way we can, and part of that is shining a light on whether the two-metre restriction is necessary,” said AHA board member Jeff Jamieson, who co-owns the cocktail bar Proof, as well as a burger spot called Donna Mac, both located in Calgary’s Beltline area.
Jamieson has not reopened Proof, which has 50 seats, because he could only get 20 people in the space, using two-metre physical distancing.
AHA notes other countries have been successful with lesser distances, such as Australia at oneand-a-half metres, and France at one metre.
Reducing the distance requirement would give restaurants the ability to reopen, hire back staff and generate much-needed revenue, they say.
“I think that we are trying to be cautious with what’s going on with regards to the public safety part of the equation and balancing it with how long are we going to see these restrictions,” said Jamieson.
“We’re just asking the question. Can we find any evidence to support it going a little lower?”
Two leading scientists from Oxford University in the United Kingdom recently examined a literature review, published in the medical journal The Lancet, on evidence regarding what difference the distance between individuals makes in disease transmission. The Daily Mail reported that professors Carl Heneghan and Tom Jefferson said “keeping one-metre apart can slash the risk of catching coronavirus by 80 per cent” and that “there was roughly a 1.3-per-cent chance of contracting the virus when two metres from an infected patient.” But halving that gap to one metre raised the risk to only 2.6 per cent.
In Friday’s briefing with the Alberta chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Postmedia asked whether the province would consider reducing the two-metre restriction.
“The evidence coming out of England is of interest, and we’re looking at it. At the same time, what’s important to remember is that there is no one distance that will be 100-per-cent effective at all times and in all circumstances,” Hinshaw replied, noting the restriction was created in consultation with other Canadian health authorities, and influenced by a six-foot recommendation by American disease control experts.
In Edmonton, restaurateur Chris Sills says customers are not ready to be less than two metres apart.
“Regardless of what the science says, we’re here to make customers feel comfortable and they’re not comfortable with less than two metres,” said Sills, who co-owns the Mexican restaurants Tres Carnales and Rostizado.
He says that Tres Carnales is open for inside dining at 42-percent capacity, with six feet between tables. Last summer, the restaurant was full, and people were lined up regularly down the block to get in. So far this summer, he can recall perhaps only one day when there was a lineup.
“The public is just not demonstrating that they want to come out in droves and so we’re honouring the vibe we’re picking up,” said Sills.