TORONTO -- As new cases of COVID-19 remain high in parts of Ontario, one restaurant in Niagara Region has taken matters into its own hands to prevent the spread of the disease within its establishment.
In a statement published to Facebook, Romby's Tavern & Smokehouse in St. Catharines said that only guests from the region can dine-in and must provide identification to do so.
The move, which the business described as an “extra safety precaution,” went into effect before the Thanksgiving weekend, just after dine-in service at restaurants in Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa was suspended in the face of growing COVID-19 cases in those areas.
“We apologize to those that are not from the Niagara Region,” the business said in a post. “[We] hope that precautions such as this will allow us to be able to enjoy your company again sooner rather than later.”
The business is more than within its legal rights to impose such a restriction. According to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the prohibited grounds for discrimination do not include living in a different region than a business.
Speaking to CTV News Toronto, one employee said that the new measure has generally been met with positivity and that no one has “raised a stink” yet.
And that positivity can also be seen in the comments in response to the Facebook post.
“Thank you for protecting our community,” wrote Cheryl Danyliw-Antonides. “Thank-you! More places need to do this,” said Andrea Watson.
For context, Toronto reported 239 new cases of the disease on Thursday. Peel Region recorded 136.
Niagara Region reported 19 new cases and negative one cases a day prior.
Still, the owners of Romby’s aren’t taking any chances and hope the move to limit their indoor dining services to local residents will be enough to prevent another lockdown.
“Niagara, we are getting closer to another shutdown, let’s do what we can to avoid that for the sake of everyone,” the post continued.
