Restaurants in Toronto say they need more direction to ensure that customers follow the rules when dining outside. Earlier this month, Ontario changed its lockdown rules to allow restaurants to open outdoor dining areas.
Restaurant owners and employees say they’re unsure how to enforce the one-household rule. A server at a restaurant that created a contact tracing form for guests to sign before dining says, “It felt like we were hung out to dry a little bit.”
Businesses hosting guests may face fines if they break the rule, according to the city of Toronto, but it’s up to restaurants to figure out how to enforce it. If TPH inspectors find that eateries aren’t complying, fines range from $880 for individuals to $1,130 for corporations, according to an official.
The mayor of Toronto believes it is reasonable to question visitors who do not appear to be from the same family. Customers have generally followed COVID-19 regulations, according to Restaurants Canada. Cases involving people aged 20 to 29 account for 21% of all cases in the city.
“It’s human nature; we expect some people to try to cheat,” says a vice president of Restaurant Canada. “People here who want to defeat this virus have to have a degree of good faith,” Tory says. Many customers, according to De Man, are unaware that they are unable to dine with people who are not members of their household.
Source: CBC
