UPDATE: Indoor dining ban restrictions

Dear ABLE BC members and industry colleagues,

I know many of you are looking for answers on whether the current ban on indoor dining – set to expire at midnight on May 24 – will be lifted, extended, or modified. We are doing everything possible to get that clarity for you.

I just got off the phone with senior officials from Public Health, where I and several industry colleagues pushed for the answers you need. Unfortunately, the decision has not yet been made.

Dr. Henry will be addressing British Columbians at a press conference this coming Thursday. You can watch it live on CBC. We anticipate Dr. Henry will offer some clarity on when she will be announcing her decision about the current “Circuit Breaker” Public Health Order.

To be clear: at this point it seems likely we may not know until after the long weekend when indoor dining will be allowed to resume. It is also possible the orders may be extended for a few more weeks.

Until we hear otherwise from Dr. Henry, we strongly recommend HOLDING OFF on ordering extra inventory or scheduling additional staff in anticipation of resuming indoor dining.

The good news is the number of new cases is going down and more than 50 per cent of eligible British Columbians have received a vaccine. So long as hospitalization and ICU rates continue to decline, we are headed in the right direction. Regardless of what happens on Monday, the industry is going to be reopening sometime soon – we just don’t know when yet.

I know this is not the answer you were hoping for. And I know how frustrating it is to once again have to wait on the information you need to make vital business decisions. Rest assured we will continue to do everything we can to gain the clarity you need in the coming days.

I’ll be back in touch as we know more. As always, please don’t hesitate to get in touch at jeff@ablebc.ca with any questions.
-Jeff