Cred: Scot's Pub Facebook Page
Last years festivities were very toned down in the city of London. Many are fearing this year that COVID fatigue may play a role in individuals not taking the restrictions as seriously this time around, especially with the recent increase in house-party related cases.
In terms of bars and restaurants, it has already been made clear that police will have a significant downtown presence throughout St. Patrick’s Day. These businesses were not open last year due to the full COVID shutdown, so they are dealing with a brand new experience.
Billy Thomson, General Manager at The Scot’s Corner on Dundas Street, describes how preparation for this years St. Patrick’s Day is unique.
“Preparation is definitely cut in half obviously, because of the restrictions we are under. We used to have probably 8 to 10 really good Irish food specials for the day, but with only being allowed in fifty people at a time, and closing at 9, yes I definitely have to cut that in half. We still got all the other stuff going on like green beer, that sort of thing.”
Anyone who has celebrated the holiday knows how difficult it would be to find a pub without live music. Thomson explains how the restrictions have effected this.
“We used to have bands all throughout the day, but being closed at 9, we only have one band coming in at 5. The problem is they take up some of your numbers as well, so with your fifty people and you have a band of 3 or 4, that’s 4 people that aren’t spending money. So they are coming in just for a few hours in the evening just to give everyone the same St Paddy’s Day feel, but we have got a playlist on that will have all the traditional Irish music, so it will still be a party.”
Bars and restaurants are used to full capacity well after midnight during the holiday. With no alcohol being served past 9, when will these businesses expect their busiest hours? Thomson explains.
“Because people are working from home, there’s not a whole lot of traffic down here. Now, whether people will leave their homes and come down during the day, we’ll see. So I can see more when people are done work, maybe around the 4 o clock, will be when we have the peak of our business.”
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Chris Mackie has been very vocal over the past few days, especially after the 45 person outbreak resulting from house parties, stressing the importance of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day safely this year, and adhering to the regions current COVID-19 restrictions.
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