Sask. bars, live music venues react to new COVID-19 restrictions with both relief and concern

New provincial restrictions on serving alcohol could put additional strain on Saskatchewan businesses already struggling to stay afloat, but some bars say they understand why the curfew is being implemented.

As of Monday, licensed establishments in Saskatchewan will have to stop serving alcohol at 10 p.m., and consumption must end by 11 p.m.

The new measures, announced Friday, will be in place for 28 days, or four weeks, and will then be reviewed by Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab.

The restrictions come as Saskatchewan has seen triple-digit daily COVID-19 case increases and multiple outbreaks of the illness.

Jason Gervais, the operating owner and manager of Revival Music Room in Regina, says his business has been slowly getting back on its feet after the lockdown at the start of the pandemic. 

"It's been a little bit of a roller-coaster. We've been following the guidelines very closely. We just wanted to create a very safe environment for all our patrons and we've actually tried to go above and beyond what they're asking."

Gervais says due to extra measures like contact tracing, Revival has seen a lot of repeat customers, and the bar has managed to stay off the Saskatchewan Health Authority lists of potential COVID-19 exposures.

But the province's new restrictions on bars are frustrating, he says.

"I'm glad they're kind of keeping things open. However, this law for me, it definitely impacts me because we are a later in the evening, live music venue. A lot of people aren't even coming until 8:30, 9, or even 10 p.m.," said Gervais.

"The bands don't even usually start until 9:30 p.m. So this heavily impacts me. I have to restructure the way I do things and hope that people will come out early to support live music."

Back to the drawing board

Gervais says the bands he has booked for Revival have been working closely with him. 

"It's been a real partnership. But it's been a struggle. We're just trying to get through to the other side. I really appreciate all the bands working together with me. It's actually a very humbling kind of thing," Gervais said. 

"We need to support live music, or it's just going to start to go away."

Revival is still open for business for the time being. But Gervais is unsure how long that will last. 

"We have to stop serving alcohol by 10 and drinks have to be off the table by 11. There's not much of a window there for business," Gervais said.

He says he will have to determine in the coming days if it's cost-effective to stay open.

Individuals should be more vigilant in following guidelines and rules to protect themselves and others from the spread of COVID-19, Gervais says. Doing so will not only help curb the spread, but help keep local businesses open. 

"To me, if people come into my establishment thinking that they don't have to abide by the rules, I'm sorry. We don't want your business," he said. 

"I'd rather somebody leave my bar annoyed because they weren't having fun than [see] someone who leaves my bar because they felt unsafe.

"Those people that feel safe will come back. The people that don't feel safe, probably won't for a long time."

Gervais says he believes the government is doing its best to control the virus, but many small towns and taverns will be negatively effected by the curfew. 

Avoiding full shutdown

Morgan Choquer, co-owner of The Cure Kitchen & Bar in Regina, says the curfew wasn't a big surprise to her, as she had been looking at what was happening in other provinces. 

"We were definitely happy that it wasn't a full shutdown. I think the curfew is definitely preferential to having to close our doors. So we were a little bit relieved in that regard," she said.

She hopes the curfew will not have too much of an impact on her business.

"We have noticed, at least with our clientele, that there's been a bit of a shift as far as people aren't going out as late and getting as raucous as they once did," Choquer said.

"So hopefully it won't be too negative on us."

The Cure has cut down on live music and events since it reopened in the summer. The events they are doing have started earlier. 

Choquer says her business will feel the biggest impact of the curfew on on Fridays and Saturdays, when the bar typically has the most late-night customers. 

"But we have had a lot of outbreaks stem from from bars and from parties, so I understand where they're coming from ... I do think that this is a good start. We're happy that this is all we have to worry about."