Is it safe to eat on an outdoor patio that is tented and heated?
Some restaurant owners in Ontario are doing what they can to make their patios a welcoming environment in sub-zero temperatures now that indoor dining has been banned by the government.
But one expert warns that too much protection against the frigid temperatures may prove counterproductive when it comes to curbing the spread of COVID-19.
Indoor dining has been banned until Jan. 26 under the province’s modified Step 2 lockdown rules. Outdoor dining and takeout were permitted to remain in place.
“This really hit them hard,” said James Rilett, Vice President of Central Canada at Restaurants Canada. “We saw a lost holiday season, and now we're fully locked down. So it's just very hard on restaurants. And a lot of them, even from the mental health aspect are resigning themselves to deciding whether they want to continue or not.”
Rilett said that allowing outdoor dining in the summer is one thing, but as the temperature continues to plummet many restaurants just don’t have the means to offer that service.
“We're right in the middle of winter, and it'll continue to be cold for quite a while now. So I don't think patios are an option for most, some have tried it and some will continue to try it.”
Those restaurants who are able to offer outdoor dining in the winter often have a setup that includes a type of tented structure along with a heater in order to keep patrons warm enough to enjoy their meals.
Dr. Peter Jüni, the scientific director of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory table, warned that at least one side of the structure needs to be open to allow for enough ventilation to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19.
“If we start to build greenhouses, the ventilation is basically as indoors and then we don't have the advantage from outdoors anymore. That's absolutely clear,” he said.
“if you have a situation where you have one wall, that just protects against wind, and you have the heaters, that's okay, but if you start to have really a situation where, actually there's a tent being built, a greenhouse or some other sort of structure that basically doesn't allow the air to circulate as freely as when you're outdoors, then you're in trouble.”
The distinguishing factor in these scenarios is air flow, Jüni added, explaining that it would be better to have an open space for a door on either side of the structure rather than a singular entrance. He said that ventilation is key to preventing the spread of COVID-19 regardless of the temperature.
“We need to be extremely careful, you know, that we don't make outdoors the new indoors,” Jüni said. “We're talking about the highly transmissible variant in a crisis, where our health-care system is struggling already, and they will continue to struggle. So we just should take this seriously, just for a few weeks.”
According to Toronto Public Health, a patio in Ontario’s modified Step 2 must have at least two full sides of an outdoor area open and “ensure they are not substantially blocked by any walls or other impermeable physical barriers.”
If there is no roof, the patio must have at least one full side open, officials said.
Toronto Public Health said the city is continuing to educate businesses to ensure they comply with these rules and are responding to complaints and conducting inspections.
Both Jüni and Rilett held out optimism that restaurants will soon be allowed to move their customers indoors, with the science table director saying he hopes to see a change in Ontario’s hospital admissions soon.
“Things will change. They're about to change I would hope,” Jüni said. “There's no guarantees yet but it seems that everything is going to the right direction when I look at mobility of people, but we still await the moment when we start to see the curve of hospital occupancy being less steep than right now, and this hasn't happened yet.”
Rilett says he has been told indoor dining will return after the two-week prohibition period and hopes that means restaurants can “get back to serving people.”
“January and February are usually slower months anyway, but slower and nothing are two extremely different things.”
NO VACCINE REQUIREMENTS FOR PATIOS
It has never been necessary for customers sitting on a patio in Ontario to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19. Patrons eating indoors, when such a practice was allowed, had to show a QR code or receipt indicating that they have received at least two doses.
However, Jüni said that at this point two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine will not make much difference in terms of protecting people from contracting the disease—it will just make a difference in terms of symptom severity and hospital admission.
Jüni said that if the approach was changed to include the third booster shot, future risk could be mitigated.
“Right now you know one of the challenges we had and we are seeing actually with fully vaccinated people is that they were exposing themselves more than other people in restaurants, etc. and they didn't have much or any protection against infection. Luckily, again like a broken record, protection against serious outcomes holds.”
It is mandatory for individuals to provide proof of two doses of COVID-19 vaccine if they want to enter large indoor event spaces in addition to restaurants. Officials have said previously they would consider changing the requirement to include three doses, but no formal announcement or change has been made yet.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to New York from upstate prison
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.