Gyms, bars eagerly await B.C.’s next steps with restrictions set to expire Tuesday
Posted January 17, 2022 6:04 am.
Last Updated January 17, 2022 12:09 pm.
Gyms, fitness centres, bars, and nightclubs are eagerly awaiting B.C.’s next COVID-19 update, when we’re expected to hear whether or not public health restrictions will be extended.
As it stands, the order — which has forced a number of businesses to close and others to bring in strict protocols — is set to expire Tuesday.
Some gym owners say they plan to reopen first thing in the morning, while others are being a bit more cautious and planning to wait until the official go ahead.
However, the uncertainty has some people feeling frustrated, like they’re playing a waiting game.
“Everyone’s holding their breath right now trying to find out what’s happening tomorrow,” Jeff Guignard, executivie director of BC Alliance of Beverage Licensees. “It makes it impossible for folks in our industry to plan right. So there’s a bit of frustration out there today.”
The province’s communication has only added to confusion for some. When the order was first announced, the province said it would expire at 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 18. That differs from the order posted online, which states measures are set to expire at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 18, with a one-day discrepancy between the two.
The order prohibits indoor individual and group fitness or exercise, effectively shuttering gyms and other facilities. It has also shut down any restaurant, pub, bar, or nightclub that does not offer full meal service, and places restrictions on indoor and outdoor dining.
Additional restrictions are in place, including some regional orders.
On Friday, during her last COVID update, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry didn’t offer any hints as to what her next move will be. However, she did share her belief that community transmission had reached its peak earlier in the week.
“We are still at the point where our hospitalization rate is going up, so new hospitalizations is still a concern,” she explained.
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Earlier in the month, Henry said she was not interested in continuing to roll out restrictions.
“This is about activating all of those layers of protection available for your business in your situation, to keep you from having to shut down because you don’t have enough people to operate,” she said on Jan. 4, when she urged businesses to have contingency plans in place to deal with staff illnesses.
Though the potential easing or lifting of restrictions will be welcome news for many, whatever comes Tuesday will be too late for a number of others.
Just this weekend, a beloved dance studio in downtown Vancouver was among the latest local businesses to announce it would be closing its doors after 12 years, saying this latest round of measures became too much to handle.
Sara Hodson, president of the Fitness Industry Council of Canada says an extension of the order would be the final nail in the coffin for some gyms and fitness centres.
“Opening a gym, a studio, any type of a fitness facility, no matter the size, is not as easy as just unlocking the doors and turning the alarm off and flicking the lights on,” she said, adding equipment and facilities must be ready to go and staff must be rehired.
“That is causing, a group of gym owners to say ‘hey, we are going to be preparing to open tomorrow because we cannot afford to be closed for another day’ … And then we also have a group of gym owners that are saying ‘hey, I want to wait to know what the orders say because I can’t actually afford to undertake any steps in my business that could be another wasted penny.'”
Guignard says in addition to business owners, staff are left not knowing whether they will be working. Businesses also don’t know whether to order in new product.
While December is typically a boom for restaurants and bars, due to Christmas and New Year parties, January is the slowest month. The general slower traffic, coupled with pandemic restrictions may prove too much for some.
Guignard estimates B.C.’s hospitality industry has already lost about 15 per cent of its businesses, and he expects another 15 per cent before the end of the pandemic.
Hodson says some gyms are defaulting on payments and rent, leading to uncertain futures as creditors come calling.
“Based on the information that I have received through conversation, about 50 per cent of gyms here have about two weeks of money left in their bank account in our province, and if these orders are extended, this will be a very fatal time for the fitness industry.”
Financial aid provided by the province is not significant enough to cover bills and losses, she says, adding many businesses may not qualify.
The latest modelling unveiled Friday showed Omicron infections across Metro Vancouver and other areas of the province likely hit their peak already. However, Henry noted the coming weeks are expected to be challenging for the health-care system.
The measures closing gyms and bars came into effect on Dec. 22 in response to rising cases of the Omicron variant.
Meanwhile, other restrictions, including around gatherings, are set to expire on Jan. 31. B.C.’s vaccine passport requirements are in place until that time as well.
-With files from Nikitha Martins
