Businesses ready to welcome more clients as COVID capacity limits lifted

As theOntario government removesmore COVID-19 restrictions, businesses in Ottawa say they are ready to open their doors to more clients.

Monday marks the first day of the province's newreopening plan announced late last week. It lays out the anticipated gradual lifting ofall public health measures, including masks, by the end of March. The first step removescapacity limits in themajority of establishments that require proof of vaccination, such as restaurants, bars and gyms.

"All around, we think this is really great news," said Nathalie Carrier, executive director of the Vanier BIA.

"It is a direct correlation to the [number] of people in Ontario, and certainly in Ottawa, who have gotten vaccinated and have done the right thing to protect themselves and their friends and the businesses of this beautiful community."

In the city's west end, Rod Castro has been making sure he has extra seating set up at his two establishments, Publico Eatery and 1014 Cocktail Bar. He's happy for the chance to welcomemore customers, but doesn't expect to be full on day one.

"We really feel as if it might end up being anticlimactic. I really think that's a great thing because it means it's a comfortable transition," he said.

'Have some caution'

The Ford government has also proposed liftingproof of vaccination requirementsfor bars, restaurants and sports facilities by mid-January and removing mask requirements by the end of March, as long as COVID-19 cases stay low. That worries Castro.

"We're happy right now with [the requirements] because what we know now isthat this will hopefully give people the confidence to go out," he said.

"With the vaccine passports, what we got is people that were literally scared to go in and dine since the start of all this actually,feeling that confidence. So yes, in January, if all of a sudden that vaccination requirement goes away, some of those people, I believe, might lose that confidence."

Some experts are also urging people to remember the virushas surprised the medical community in the past, and to be wary of reopening too fast, which has led to a dramatic rise in cases in other regions.

"We don't know if ... a new variant will come up from another country because many other countries have a very low rate of vaccination," saidDr. Hugues Loemba, a virologist and associate professor with the University of Ottawa's department of medicine. He said it's difficult to predict how long immunity from the vaccine will last, or if people will need booster shots.

"We need to be optimistic, but we have to have some caution here."

As for Carrier, she hopes people realize that, for now, it is safe and to have faith in the protocols currently in place.

"We hope that people will book their Christmas parties and come out with their friends to restaurants and start going to the gym again and really encourage their local businesses because it's safe to do so."