Customers not yet flocking back to full capacity businesses
Non-essential businesses that can now operate at full capacity, aren’t necessarily seeing droves of customers coming back.
As of Monday, capacity restrictions have been lifted on casinos, restaurants, salons, gyms and other locations where proof of vaccination is required.
At Gateway Casinos in London, spokesperson Rob Mitchell tells CTV News, staff worked through the night to have the site ready. And judging by the number of cars in the parking lot it looked like a banner day.
But one customer who had been inside described it as “slow.” She chalked it up to less disposable income due to the pandemic.
“Money is tight and everything is more expensive,” she said. “The grocery stores. Everywhere. More money. More money.”
London’s mayor applauds the province for taking a cautious approach in lifting restrictions.
“From my standpoint, that means that these plans are also aspirational because if we don’t reach these targets, any decision to delay certain segments of our economy from opening up, I would say look no further than the unvaccinated.”
At King of the Pigs Restaurant on Hamilton Road in London, owner Rui Vieira uses his phone to check customers’ QR codes indicating their vaccine status. He said he’s glad to be back to full capacity for the first time since the pandemic began, but he knows pre-COVID level business won’t return overnight.
“It’s going to be an uphill battle again because people are going to have to get used to the full restaurant and having people beside them,” said Vieira. “Even though you have the vaccine, I think people will still be kind of a little bit scared to sit beside another person they don’t know.”
Places of worship are also allowed to have full capacity if they check for proof of vaccination. At Byron United Church in London, the pews are marked at two metres apart, maintaining about 30 per cent capacity. Reverend Dr. Gregory Brawn said the church will maintain that level for the time being.
“There are people that want to be here every Sunday, and they are, and feel comfortable because of the six foot distancing and mask,” he said. “And there are those that are not quite comfortable with that and haven’t been back yet but they’re looking forward to a time when they feel safe. And there are people who don’t feel comfortable wearing a mask for an hour, and so they’re waiting until they don’t have to wear a mask.”
Brawn said a decision whether to go to full capacity and check vaccination status will be made by the church’s elders in the next few weeks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries “Roots,” has died. He was 87.
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.