Relaxed restrictions have more Manitobans grabbing a bite, marvelling at museums

StavrosAthanasiadisis offeringhis Winnipeg eatery's famed burgers to customers he hasn't servedsince the pandemic began.

It was a weekend highlight for him.As soon as the province lifted virtually allmandated restrictions on businesses,Athanasiadis, owner of theRed Top Drive Inn on St Mary's Road, was seeing some smiles he missed.

But he didn't point fingers at theprevious requirementsfor mask-wearing and proof of vaccination.

He says many of those customerssaw the province's loosening of restrictionsannounced last Tuesday, along with a declining COVID-19 case count, aslicence to return to his diner'sred vinyl seats.

"They wanted to be careful. They want us to be careful. And they're happy that I didn't put all my tables back again,"Athanasiadissaid of his clientele, which skews older. He's maintaining his restaurant at 50 per cent capacity for now.

"I think they're coming back because they feel a little bit more comfortable and they're double vaccinated, of course. That's my understanding."

Flashing vaccine card when not required

In fact, he said a weekend without pandemic limitations didn't stop guests from entering with their face mask, and some from flashing their proof of immunization card.

"They're happy to show us their card, even if they don't ask,"Athanasiadissaid.

He said business increased by 25 to 30 per cent this past weekend.

As of Saturday, Manitoba is no longer restricting businesses from accepting certain customers.

The provinceditched the mask mandate and the condition of full immunization tocatch a movie, marvel at a museum exhibit or grab a bite at an indoor restaurantwith a long-lost friend. Previously, dine-in service was limited to the fully immunized and people from the same household.

Jason Gilmore, president of theDauphin Rail Museum, said it is a bit of a shock to welcome visitors without any public health restrictions restricting who can enter.

"We had such stringent protocols and to go from that to almost no requirements, we're just trying to get used to that."

The museum only opened for the summer a few weeks ago.Gilmore said they had to turn away fewerthan 10 per cent of visitors because of the previous restrictions.

He anticipatesa modest increase in visitors in the days and weeks ahead, but still lower than pre-pandemic years when guestsfrom other provinces and international centres could lookback at a century plus of railway history.

Gilmore said he's comfortable welcoming all visitors to themuseum, whether they're masked or vaccinated.

"I'd probably have a little bit more trepidation if our vaccine rates weren't where they are in Manitoba," he said. In Dauphin, 74.9per cent of eligible residents have at least one vaccine dose,as of last week.

"I know we are goingto have visitors from other areas, but I feel pretty safe being double vaccinated."

Over at Emerald Palace Restaurant in Winnipeg, manager Le Nhandoesn't hold the same confidence just yet.

Her Chinese restaurant on Sargent Avenue hasn't been open to indoor dining since the pandemic ushered in a rash of closures. She'll wait at least two weeks before sheconsiders reopening, she said.

Her customers, though, are getting eager. By mid-day Sunday, she fielded 10 calls from customers clamouring for a return to dine-in. She only got two or three calls on Saturday.

"If the cases are low and we're not seeing the spread, the increase in the spread, then we might we might feel more comfortable opening," Nhan said.