'Surprise' inspections of York Region restaurants, bars aim to keep lid on COVID-19 cases

'When individuals spend some time in the restaurants, it is possible that they get inebriated and physical distancing goes out of the window,' medical officer of health says

Yorkregion.com
July 30, 2020
Debora Kelly

Restaurants and bars will be a focus of public health inspections in an effort to stem an increase of COVID-19 cases in stage 3 of reopening, according to York Region’s medical officer of health.

As a result of increased cases of the virus occurring as people congregate in food and drink establishments as restrictions have loosened not only in Ontario but across the country, inspectors will be making “surprise visits” to the region’s restaurants and bars to ensure appropriate distancing and masking guidelines are being followed, Dr. Karim Kurji said in his weekly video update.

“Lessons from other jurisdictions tell us that bars and restaurants are at high risk for transmitting infections,” Kurji said.

Under stage 3 guidelines, indoor dining and drinking is permitted at all restaurants, bars, concession stands, and other food and drink establishments, with physical distancing rules still in place.

“When individuals spend some time in the restaurants, it is possible that they get inebriated and physical distancing goes out of the window,” Kurji said.

The inspectors will focus on educating patrons and business owners about the public health requirements, he added, as opposed to fines.

“We prefer to use the educational approach, as this seems to give us the best results,” he added.

Masks aren’t required for patrons when eating and drinking, however, they must be seated.

The surge in cases has prompted Canada’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Theresa Tam, to urge caution in visiting reopened bars and restaurants.

On announcing the approval of Toronto and Peel moving to stage 3 today, the province said it  supports proposals made by the City of Toronto and Toronto Public Health relating to restaurants, bars and other food and drink establishments now permitted to reopen.

Mayor John Tory said last week that he wanted food and drink establishments in Toronto to further limit their capacity to ensure physical distancing can be respected, and that face coverings be made mandatory for all staff and patrons.

Patrons would have to remain seated at all times inside restaurants and bars, unless they are entering or exiting the space, using the bathroom or paying for their services.

Today, York Region Public Health is reporting a small spike of 11 new cases, which have been under 10 each day since July 21, for a total of 3,265 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

There have been no new cases in Newmarket for the last seven days as of July 28.

The region moved into stage 3 last Friday, July 24.

“As we enter stage 3, we can expect an increase in the numbers of cases, or possibly a plateauing in the decline, so it’s important to follow public health guidelines,” Kurji said.

“Our new cases seem to be in single digits, that’s a remarkable achievement given our population of 1.2 million, so I do wish to thank all of you for continuing to exercise vigilance with respect to our efforts with COVID-19 control,” he said.

York Region’s mandatory face covering order came into effect July 17, requiring non-medical face coverings to be worn indoors.

In a recent public health survey of visitors to three of York Region’s largest shopping malls -- Upper Canada in Newmarket, Markville in Markham and Vaughan Mills -- compliance to the masking order was close to 100 per cent.

“To my surprise, we have found about 97 per cent of individuals wearing face masks,” Kurji said.

An earlier survey, from June 27 to July 2, prior to face coverings being mandatory, found about 52 per cent of individuals were wearing masks at Upper Canada, 82 per cent at Markville Mall and 61 per cent at Vaughan Mills.