Barrie’s bars and restaurants ask for extended patio hours
Patios have had to close by 11:15 p.m. in Step Three of Ontario's reopening plan
Barrie’s downtown bars and restaurants have reached out to city council in the hope of being allowed to stay open until 2 a.m.
They’ve written a ‘letter of hardship’ to council, worried about the prospect of new restrictions as the fourth wave of COVID takes hold.
“Our businesses and staff need the opportunity to prepare for this upcoming dark time and ask that city council leave no stone unturned in helping our businesses … prepare to survive this upcoming season of predicted limited operations.” One of those ‘stones’, says the letter, is allowing extended patio hours.
Bar and restaurant patios in Barrie had been allowed, with council’s blessing, to remain open until 2 a.m. through Steps One and Two of Ontario’s reopening plan. They were clawed back to an 11:15 p.m. closing when Step Three took effect and indoor dining was allowed again.
feature image: Speakcheesy patio
