Officials justify Ottawa restaurant closures
Posted Oct 22, 2020 11:25:00 AM.
The province's tourism minister says the data justify the decision to close bars and indoor dining rooms in Ottawa's restaurants, after a recent dramatic upswing in the number of COVID-19 cases.
Minister Lisa MacLeod, who is also the MPP for Nepean, said she met with Ottawa's medical officer of health.
“Her office did provide me with data, that suggested that there have been three outbreaks resulting from restaurants and bars,” said MacLeod.
MacLeod said she shared the information with business groups that had been urging the province to rescind the restriction on bars and restaurants and allow indoor dining rooms to re-open.
Some Ottawa restaurants have been trying to push patio season to the limits, enclosing outdoor dining areas with tents.
“I want to express how difficult it is for restaurants and bars right now, trying to get by with business that can't be indoors,” said Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa's medical officer of health. “And so I understand the tents that are up and the challenge from a public health point of view is, we need to maintain ventilation.”
The reason health officials consider a patio to be less risky than indoor dining is because of the free and frequent exchange of air.
“If it's more closed-in, then you lose that source of reducing the risk of transmission of COVID,” said Dr. Etches.
Ottawa patios are required to be open on at least two sides. A south-end restaurant was recently fined for enclosing its patio beyond what Ottawa Public Health found acceptable.
