Businesses call for stricter rules on mask-wearing indoors

September 25, 2020 · 0 Comments

As the Province imposes further restrictions on the sizes of indoor and outdoor social gatherings beyond Toronto, Ottawa and Peel, local business owners are calling on Ontario to get tougher on wearing masks and face coverings indoors.

On Saturday, building on an announcement made September 17 pertaining to the three above Regions, Premier Doug Ford announced new Province-wide limits on the number of people allowed to attend unmonitored social gatherings and organized public events within Ontario as the Province sees the largest surge in new cases of COVID-19.

These “unmonitored situations” include dinners, parties, barbeques, and wedding receptions held in private residences, backyards, parks and other recreational areas.

The Province’s announcement came just two days after more than 400 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in a single day for the first time since early June.

Even before the restrictions on “unmonitored” gatherings were imposed over the weekend, some area business owners were calling into question the rules on “monitored” situations like restaurants and bars.

Andrew Taranowski, Managing Partner of Aurora’s Aw, Shucks restaurant is calling on the Province, the Region and York Regional Police to work together on stronger deterrents to dissuade people from taking off their masks in places of business – and, in the case of bars and restaurants like his, from taking off their masks unless patrons are firmly in their seats.

“A gentleman came in on a Saturday night later in the evening just for a couple of drinks and maybe some appetizers and I asked him to put on a mask because obviously we need to ask guests to do that,” says Mr. Taranowski. “He said he had a medical condition and we’re not allowed to refuse entry based on somebody’s medical condition; they’re allowed to come in and we’re not even allowed to ask what the medical condition is.

“I took down his contact information for tracing and he sat down at a table and approximately five minutes later the server was serving them drinks and I guess they had been conversing with another group of people who were distanced away but at arm’s length…they basically got into a conversation and he basically just said he doesn’t have a medical condition, doesn’t want to wear a mask, and he tells everybody he has a medical condition so he doesn’t have to wear one.”

Overhearing this, Mr. Taranowski said the server spoke to him about the situation, upon which time he asked the patron to put on a mask when he gets up from the table.

“When he paid his bill, he walked through the restaurant without his mask on and ended up throwing it at me,” he recalls. “We ended up escorting him out. It is a blatant disregard for everybody’s safety: mine, the patrons that were in the restaurant at the time, and the question is, what do you do about it?”

While they say the vast majority of restaurant patrons have followed health and safety guidelines, Mr. Taranowski and manager Rick Stamegna say this is not an isolated incident and similar situations have popped up approximately once a week since they were allowed to re-open as part of Stage 3.

While both are at a loss on what they feel needs to be done, they say they agree that “stiffer fines” is a good starting point.

“I know Doug Ford has been saying lately he is frustrated with people getting off so easy and I think police need to get a little bit tougher on this, write more citations and tickets and get tough – and the courts have to respect that and not just let people off because they don’t think it is important; otherwise, this thing is going to go back to Stage 2 or Stage 1 and it is going to be a disaster all over again and we’re going to get shut down.”

Adds Mr. Stamegna: “The only way people understand nowadays is to get into their pocketbook. It is not a rule with the government or police. We have no power. The 0.5 per cent of guests who come in and just don’t abide by the rules in general, they know there is not going to be any penalty if they don’t listen to us. We don’t have the power in our own establishments or our own businesses.”

Without having stricter measures puts stress on all business owners, not just the owners of restaurants and bars.

“Notwithstanding the financial burden of hand sanitizing stations, extra people who are just cleaning, the labour expenses, the material expenses of gloves and masks, business owners are under a lot of pressure and then you have people who disobey and it just really adds to the stress.

“Most business owners are doing their best under the circumstances. We’re all in this fight together and if we just work with each other life will be a little easier and hopefully we can transition to a COVID-free future sooner.”

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter