UPDATE: Details of New COVID-19 Restrictions Now Available

Dear ABLE BC members and industry colleagues,

Thank you to all ABLE BC members who have contacted us seeking to clarify various portions of yesterday’s verbal Public Health Order. The text of the Order is now available. We strongly encourage all operators to read through it carefully. Some important highlights include:

  • Premises which are licensed to serve liquor, and which do not have full meal service, must be closed.

  • “Full meal service” includes food provided by a caterer to the premises or available from a food truck located beside or on the premises, but does not include snacks, appetizers or tapas on their own.

  • Patrons must stay in the seat to which they are assigned, or at which they seat themselves, and must not move from table to table or mingle with patrons from other parties when not seated.

  • No more than 6 patrons may be seated at a table, unless the party consists of one set of parents and their minor children.

  • Patrons must remain seated, other than in private clubs or tasting rooms with a liquor manufacturer’s licence, except:

    • To use a self- serve food or drink station, a self-serve lottery ticket dispenser, pay at a pay station, use washroom facilities, to provide assistance to another person who requires care or first aid, when leaving the premises, or

    • To play pool, billiards, snooker, or darts, or bowl (if there is a bowling alley on premises), with a maximum of five other persons who are in the same party as the patron and who are seated with the patron

  • There must be a distance of two metres between the backs of the seats of patrons seated at adjacent tables or booths, even if members of the same party are seated at adjacent tables or booths, unless the adjacent tables or booths are separated by physical barriers.

  • There must be two metres between patrons seated at a counter, unless the patrons are in the same party or they are separated by physical barriers.

  • If there are physical barriers between tables or booths or seats at a counter, the tops and bottoms of the physical barriers must be positioned so that the physical barriers block the transmission of droplets produced by breathing, talking, coughing or sneezing between patrons who are seated at adjacent tables, booths or seats at a counter.

  • Dance floors must be closed with physical barriers or occupied with tables.

  • Patrons must not dance on the premises.

  • Indoor organized gatherings of any size are not allowed. This includes New Year's Eve parties, wedding receptions, and other celebrations.

You can find the full text of the Order here.

We know how significantly these orders impact your business. We have been in touch with government and are pressing for urgent financial support for businesses who have been forced to close because of these orders. We hope to be able to offer more details soon.

If you have any other questions or concerns please contact Executive Director Jeff Guignard at jeff@ablebc.ca.

Ann Brydle