Earlier this month provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry ordered the closure of clubs and the end of liquor sales at bars and restaurants at 10 p.m., in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19.
The move was decried by the hospitality industry, who believe they are being unfairly targeted with health orders while other sectors operate unimpeded.
But over a week after the order was announced, it still hasn’t been put in writing or published online. As a result, some nightclubs in the province have continued to operate, with the municipal bylaw department unable to enforce an order that doesn’t exist.
Pubs, bars and restaurants, meanwhile, already facing devastating financial losses have “no idea how to comply with an unpublished order,” according to BC’s Alliance of Beverage Licensees (ABLE BC) and the BC Restaurants and Foodservices Association (BCRFA).
“It’s bad enough that these orders were issued without industry consultation. It’s now been over a week since Dr. Henry issued verbal orders that have had devastating financial consequences for BC’s hospitality industry, and we still don’t know the exact details of how to comply. It’s an impossible situation that is putting the financial viability of our industry at risk,” said Jeff Guignard, Executive Director of ABLE BC.
“BC’s restaurant industry was already in a fragile state, with about 50 per cent of businesses not sure they’ll make it to the end of the year,” said Ian Tostenson, CEO of the BCRFA. “Dr. Henry’s verbal order led to an immediate 30 per cent decline in revenue for our industry—even though the vast majority of businesses are meeting or exceeding all health protocols and have invested thousands of dollars to provide a safe serving environment. This is crazy.”
The industry says it has been lobbying the government on the economic fallout related to the order and is calling on Dr. Henry to come to the table to discuss the “impact of changes before it is too late.”
“With thousands of businesses and tens of thousands of jobs at risk, industry and government need to work together to help operators pivot and survive,” the two groups said in a statement.
Glacier Media had been trying to get information on the status of the verbal order from the Ministry of Health prior to the industry groups going public with their concerns on Thursday (Sept. 17).
Ministry spokesperson Shannon Greer told Glacier Media Wednesday (Sept. 16) the orders went into effect on the day they were announced by Dr. Henry on Sept. 8. In the same statement, Greer said there is a grace period in place to allow businesses to adhere to the new orders.
“Right now, we need to focus on the things we can do to stop the transmission of COVID-19 throughout the province,” Greer said. “We can do that by closing places where we know the untraceable spread of COVID-19 is happening, and by reducing the probability that alcohol impaired judgement will be a factor in disease spread.”
The Ministry of Health did not answer any of Glacier Media's questions on the length of the “grace period” or who is actually responsible for enforcing them — RCMP, bylaw or the BC Liquor Enforcement Branch.
In the past, health orders have been published online the day of, or shortly after they are announced by Dr. Henry.
The province did not explain the delay in posting the most recent order.
