With speculation that Ontario’s current lockdown may be extended into June, the local business community is taking it in stride.
“I’m okay if they extend it again,” said John Lechlitner, Owner of Cecil’s Brewhouse. “I’d rather a little short-term pain for a long-term positive outlook.”
Lechlitner and fellow restaurateurs have been relegated to curbside pickup for the past six weeks as Ontario has battled the third wave of COVID-19.
But as vaccination numbers are on the rise and case counts appear to be decreasing, Lechlitner looks forward to the future.
“I’m pretty positive. You can see the finish line now,” he said.
Peter Chirico, President and CEO of the North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce says Lechlitner’s attitude is par for the course amongst members.
“Their patience is being tried but their morale is good,” Chirico said. “I think every business understands…we don’t want to have another summer of rotating lockdowns.”
“I think with the stop and start, stop and start that we’ve seen over the past six to eight months, hopefully, this [lockdown] will get those numbers down where it’s acceptable to the province,” Chirico continued.
Both Chirico and Lechlitner hope that the current lockdown will be the last one. With restaurants being among the hardest-hit businesses, warmer weather and the possibility of patio dining is an enticing prospect for Lechlitner, but he wants to ensure that it’s safe to do so.
“I would never want it to be on my or anyone’s shoulders that we pushed for opening and forced somebody’s hand to do it and something catastrophic happened,” he noted.
Ontario has been in lockdown since the Easter Weekend as COVID-19 cases soared and critical care beds filled. The province recorded its lowest single-day increase since March on Tuesday with 2,073 cases added.
