SASKATOON -- Effective Monday, the Government of Saskatchewan is requiring businesses that serve alcohol to stop serving after 10 p.m., and consumption cannot continue after 11 p.m.
One business CTV Saskatoon spoke to declined an interview, but said the measures would likely hurt businesses more than they would prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Other establishments such as Sports On Tap in Saskatoon, is finding it easier to adapt.
“We're busier when there's live sporting events, you know like football games, hockey, UFC and stuff like that, so right now there's not a lot of those,” said manager Mike Kirkham. “A lot of our nights are slowly wrapping up by 11 o'clock anyways.”
The provincial measures come after a spike in positive cases of COVID-19 provincewide.
“There's other places that unfortunately haven't been following the guidelines the way they should, or have been part of the reason we've had large spikes at certain times,” Kirkham said. “And then there's the majority of places that are going above and beyond the guidelines to try and maintain safety for everybody.”
The new measures also crack down on hookah and water-pipe services, which are no longer allowed, and slaps a maximum of eight people separated by a distance of three metres in group aerobics like aqua-size and spin-class.
Owner of Turning the Tide Bookstore Peter Garden, said he’d like to see stricter measures in place to curb the spread of the disease.
“The government hasn't taken into consideration that we are coming into the the busiest time of the year for retail for many businesses,” he said. “What the implications are of having full lockdown during that time, which it's looking like we may be heading towards, and thinking about putting in stronger measures now.”
Garden said he has a family member who is immuno-compromised and depends on the healthcare system, which he doesn’t want to see over-burdened.
But he doesn’t want to see businesses go under because of stricter measures.
“There's lots of businesses that can't (adapt), and we're asking the government to provide support for them to get through these times,” he said. “It's not possible for everyone to be able to deliver. If you're a bar you can't deliver drinks.”
Premier Scott Moe said the province will provide an update on the measures being taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19 at a news conference on Tuesday.