Moncton restaurants adapt to COVID-19 concerns

At least one restaurant owner in Moncton is taking extra precautions after the province's first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in a resident who lives in the area.

This means additional cleaning and fewer tables in dining areas in hopes that customers keep coming through the doors, despite advice from the province to practise social distancing.

"If you are out in public we're saying please distance yourself by six feet or two metres from the person that you're standing next to," said Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick's chief medical officer of health.

Luc Erjavec of Restaurants Canada said even though the risk of COVID-19 in Atlantic Canada is relatively low, restaurants should still have a plan

"That's not to say you shouldn't take precautions [or[ you shouldn't look out for symptoms," said Erjavec. 

"We're just continuing to use best practices in our restaurants and let customers know that the risks are low."

'Unusual but necessary'

Brett Judson, co-owner of Five Bridges in Riverview and Gusto in Moncton, said his staff have become even more attentive to cleaning, and are now going so far as wipe down salt and pepper shakers between diners.

They have also started using only tongs to handle food in the kitchen and doing temperature checks on employees to ensure they aren't running a fever.

"Staff temperatures obviously would never be a regular thing," said Judson.

"Unusual but necessary." 

Judson's restaurants have also instituted a travel policy for staff, and any employees who went away for March break has been told to stay home for two weeks.

Judson said he expects the commercial hit to his business will be significant, although he hopes sales will be helped by better delivery numbers.

"It could be a take-out environment. It just depends what happens," he said.