As COVID-19 restrictions loosen Monday, airport and bar staff relieved

A number of COVID-19 restrictions loosenedacross Newfoundland and Labradoron Monday, and staff at placeswhere operations have beenheavily impacted over the past two years are breathing a sigh of relief.

Gander International Airport Authority president and CEO Reg Wright said he expected a much quieter work environment come Monday morning, and less stress for staff at the airport.

COVID-19 checkpoints at airports and ferry terminals will be removed andborder enforcement staff will no longerbe stationed at points of entry, according to Public Health. Starting Monday, there isno testing or isolation for alltravellers, and travel formswill no longer be required.

"It's the removal of an irritant to travel more than anything," Wright said. "It's something that kind of choked off travel demand."

Wright said testing requirements and COVID-19 checkpoints have been clogging up operations since the onset of the pandemic.

Screening requirements resulted in long lineups and crowds inside the terminal,which Wrightsaid affects smaller airports like Gander's more than the larger points of entry in the province.

"I just think the deplaning process and especially baggage halls will be a lot more seamless because you won't have passengers queuing, waiting for processing, testing and producing credentials," he said.

"And essentially, if the chief medical officer is satisfied that, based on best science, this is the way to go, then we're frankly glad to see it go."

You can dance if you want to

At 12:01 a.m. Monday, capacity limits atbars, performance spaces, bingo hallsand cinemas increased to75 per cent, up from 50 per cent.Formal gathering sizealso increased to 75per cent of a venue's capacity, but informal gatherings are still limited to 25 people.

Starting at 12:01 a.m. on Monday,those who have been waiting since December to cut a rug could once again hit the dance floor, provided they wear a mask.

The official reopening of dance floors to masked patrons is good news for at least one George Street bartender.

Janet Kean of Christian's Pub says the bar's clientele were not pleased about the prohibition on dancing that was ushered in early on in the pandemic.

"Oh, they were angry. People didn't understand," Kean said. "When they've got a few drinks in,nobody really wants to be told that, right?"

"We're a small venue, so we get like 35 people when it's at half capacity," she said. "Sowhen 35 of those people are drunk and then all of a sudden they don't want to stay sitting down, it really has its challenges."

Kean said enforcing the restrictions took a lot of effort on the part of staff.

"But anyway, we all got through it," she said.

After the Christmas lockdown and the subsequent wave of infections, Kean feels optimistic it's time to move past the pandemic restrictions.

"Hopefully Omicron might be the last of it," she said.

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