Toronto restaurants, salons, barbers and more, advised to prepare for safe reopening
TORONTO,. June 6, 2020 — Mayor John Tory has announced that the City of Toronto, led by Toronto Public Health, is providing guidance to safely reopen restaurants for indoor and outdoor dining, and personal service settings for personal care services once provincial orders are lifted for these sectors of the economy. This a very good sign that Torontonians and Ontarians will soon be able to get their hair fixed and have a place to show off their new dos while enjoying a meal out.
The city’s close to 8,000 restaurants and 3,500 personal service settings (including hair salons and barbers, tattoo parlours, nail salons and aesthetic services) are advised to begin preparing for reopening but are not permitted to begin operating until the revised order under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act is announced by the Government of Ontario and comes into effect.
“You can’t as yet get a haircut, or get your nails done, or sit down for a meal at a restaurant, not yet,” Tory said. “But your local restaurant and your hairstylist can review these guidelines to make sure they’re ready to be opened when the time comes and to understand what the requirements are that public health and the city will be asking of them once they are once again open for business.”
Residents have been greatly feeling the loss of being unable to access these integral service industry businesses since March. They have been closed or had their service delivery severely impacted due to provincial orders and public health recommendations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Restaurants and personal service settings are key parts of our economy that I am eager to see reopen as soon as safely possible,” said Mayor John Tory, yesterday. “I hope these guidelines will help businesses as they prepare to reopen – I know the vast majority of business owners want to do everything they can to protect their employees, protect the public who use their services, and protect the health of our entire city. The last few months have been devastating for businesses that were forced to close due to public health precautions and I know everyone wants to do everything they can to stop the spread of COVID-19 and to avoid having to ramp up restrictions again. This is another example of the important work we are doing – along with all other municipal governments – to get the city and its businesses back up and running in a safe way.”
The City says its staff will be communicating with impacted businesses over the next week either individually or through local BIAs, including TABIA and the Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association to ensure that the resumption of service can happen as quickly as possible once provincial orders are lifted.
Physical distancing measures and enhanced cleaning procedures must be strictly followed
To reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 to staff and clients, physical distancing measures, enhanced cleaning and disinfection, and other public health requirements must be followed when businesses reopen.
The City will also work with business owners to understand enforcement, accessibility and cleaning requirements, and how to maintain physical distancing to keep customers and employees safe.
Some of Toronto Public Health’s key reopening guidelines include:
• Physical distancing measures must be in place and practised as much as possible between customers and staff;
• Spacing tables will be required and barriers such as plexiglass are recommended
• Frequent cleaning and disinfection of surfaces and frequent hand washing will also be required
• Staff will require additional training and will have to ensure they are not sick before they start work;
• The use of non-medical masks or face coverings in all indoor public spaces is strongly encouraged. Operators may require their customers to wear them too, except when eating. Any customer with symptoms of COVID-19 should be denied entry; and
• Operators will have to maintain a log for customers and staff contact information with a check-in time. This will ensure that public health can notify
Meanwhile getting that next haircut won’t be as enjoyable as it used to be. It is doubtful you will be sipping a latte while thumbing through a hairstyle magazine surrounded by fellow salon patrons. Expect stylists wearing PPE like gloves, gowns, masks and or face shields and don’t expect a soothing therapeautic shampoo unless it is absolutely necessary to rinse hair after procedures like colouring.
Toronto Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Eileen de Villa said these businesses should “prepare themselves so they are ready as soon as the provincial orders have been lifted.”
“When the time comes to reopen, these businesses will have to modify their practices to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection for their customers and staff,” said Dr. de Villa.
The issuing of new business licences and renewal of existing licences by the City of Toronto has been suspended since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to help business owners with their restart plans, the City has now developed new processes for businesses to apply and obtain licences online.
As of yesterday there have been 198 new COVID-19 infections in Toronto. To date, 9,304 people have recovered, an increase of 173 since the previous day.
If a new business licence is needed for restaurants or personal service settings, owners can email mlsapplication@toronto.ca for a contact-free licence application process. More information on business licensing and application requirements is available at www.toronto.ca/services-payments/permits-licences-bylaws/.
Guidelines for restaurants can be found at: toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/8e95-COVID-19-Guidance-for-Reopening-your-Restaurant.pdf .
Guidelines for Personal Service Settings can be found at: toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/9869-COVID-19-Guidance-for-Personal-Service-Settings.pdf .
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