Last Updated Tuesday, April 6, 2021 10:56AM EDT Two organizations representing restaurants and workers in the food service industry are calling on the Ford government to reverse its decision to close patios around the province as part of a one-month provincewide shutdown. On Tuesday, Restaurants Canada and the Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association published an open letter to Premier Doug Ford, urging the province to provide more support for struggling restaurants and reopen patio dining as a “safe alternative” to private gatherings. “When provincial and municipal health officials encouraged restaurants to reopen for patio dining in Grey-Lockdown areas, they did so in recognition of the lower risk of transmission in outdoor spaces and the need for options to support mental health and well-being,” the letter read.
TORONTO Two organizations representing restaurants and workers in the food service industry are calling on the Ford government to reverse its decision to close patios around the province as part of a one-month provincewide shutdown. On Tuesday, Restaurants Canada and the Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association published an open letter to Premier Doug Ford, urging the province to provide more support for struggling restaurants and reopen patio dining as a “safe alternative” to private gatherings. “When provincial and municipal health officials encouraged restaurants to reopen for patio dining in Grey-Lockdown areas, they did so in recognition of the lower risk of transmission in outdoor spaces and the need for options to support mental health and well-being,” the letter read.