Chatham-Kent’s outdoor patios at local restaurants and bars have been a big hit for both patrons and owners – and the municipality has noticed.
Mayor Darrin Canniff, CAO Don Shropshire and Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Colby say the local outdoor patio scene has created a unique vibe and a bit of a stress relief for both patrons and restaurant owners.
C-K’s top officials also agree that the patio scene should stick around – permanently.
“We want to come up with a permanent solution for next year and beyond,” says Mayor Darrin Canniff, who has maintained his hope to continue local patios in recent weeks. “So we can continue to have all of those patios in all the downtowns in Chatham-Kent. It’s a real vibe down there. It’s great when you look down and see all of these patios along the street. We want to work on a permanent solution to enable those.”
Some locals and establishment owners have been concerned that the outdoor patios would be closed now that indoor dining is beginning to open. The Municipality’s CAO Don Shropshire says that isn’t the case.
“There are no plans to close them,” echoes Shropshire. “The restaurant owners are having fun and they’re getting more business. And if we can find a way to help them encourage economic activity post-COVID or during Stage 3, we think that’s a great thing to do.”
The Municipality is also looking at ways to expand current patios while balancing safety for pedestrians and passersby.
“Our hope would be that we could maintain the patio option indefinitely,” adds Shropshire. “Before we can expand them any further, we’re looking at some of the traffic and safety issues to make sure that we’re striking the right balance to ensure our patrons are safe but there is still also an opportunity for people to enjoy the patios but still find a way to navigate on our sidewalks in the downtown cores.”
Dr. David Colby, C-K’s top health official is also a big fan of the local patio game. Dr. Colby says not only do the patios create a great vibe outdoors – they’re also potentially much more healthy, with less likelihood of COVID transmission.
“The data about acquisition (of COVID-19) clearly implicates large indoor gatherings as being the most hazardous,” Colby says. “Even a slight breeze can provide enough dilution to strongly minimize any hazard outdoors. So I’m a firm believer in patios and encourage this for our municipality.”
Dr. Colby says his real concern is with indoor dining.
“I’m more concerned about indoor dining and making sure that physical distancing takes place,” he says “but (the outdoor option) severely decreases the capacity for indoor dining so I think patios are going to become ever more important.”
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