Some Sask. pubs closed, others open for subdued St. Paddy's Day
CBC News | Posted: March 17, 2020 10:00 AM | Last Updated: March 17, 2020
COVID-19 concerns prompt bars to scale down
Saskatchewan watering holes are taking different approaches for what is usually one of the busiest days of the year for pubs and bars — St. Patrick's Day.
Some will be closed on March 17, others say they will be open and at least one will be open but scaling down for the day.
The chain of bars known as Leopold's Tavern closed Monday and will be closed again on St. Patrick's Day. The company says it's a precautionary measure to mitigate the risk of potential COVID-19 infection.
Nearly 400 employees at all 15 Leo's locations in B.C. and the Prairies will be paid their wages for Monday and Tuesday, a decision the company announced Monday morning.
"We're not sure what we're going to do on Wednesday. We're evaluating a number of different options at this point," said Matt Pinch, CEO of Leo's Hospitality, which owns and operates Leopold's Tavern in Regina and other communities..
"We really just felt what was best for the community right now, and the communities in which we operate, was to close our stores [on] what could possibly be a busy day."
Leo's temporary closure is just one in a series of cancellations since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and detected in Saskatchewan.
While employee wages will be covered for the next two days, Pinch said he doesn't know how long that could extend.
O'Hanlon's Irish Pub in Regina is also closing its doors for St. Patrick's Day, after an early closure 9 p.m. Monday night.
The Capitol restaurant and bar on Hamilton Street in Regina also announced on Monday it's permanent closure.
Shannon's Pub in Regina's Cathedral neighbourhood will remain open but there will be no St. Patrick's Day celebrations. The establishment will also limit the capacity to 50 people.
O'Shea's Irish Pub in Saskatoon also decided to pull the plug on St. Patrick's Day celebrations, citing the potential for a large gathering of people if they were one of the few businesses keeping their doors open.
All of the food cooked for the bar's St. Paddy's Day celebrations will be delivered to the Friendship Inn. The green beer will go back into storage for another occasion, a Facebook post said.
CBC News reached out to multiple bars in Saskatoon and Regina which previously said they will tentatively remain open on Tuesday, but they were not immediately available for comment.
Two cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Saskatchewan as of Monday, while another five presumptive cases await results. The most recent case is a man in Regina who had recently travelled in Arizona.
Monday also saw the announcement that Saskatchewan schools would wind down operations this week with schools officially closing on Friday. Parents are urged to keep their kids at home if they have already been doing so.
St. Patrick's Day has the potential to be the busiest day of the year for Leo's locations, but Leopold's Tavern design elements are also of concern.
"Our places are quite small and they're meant to sort of be small and cozy and comfortable for our guests," Pinch said. "But that presents a problem at a time when, you know, the world is asking everyone to take some distance."
Pinch said the group spoke with health-care experts who informed them about the importance of "flattening the curve," a call for people to isolate in order to avoid spreading the disease and overloading hospitals as the pandemic curve peaks.
He said the group realized they couldn't wait for the government to order a shutdown or wait for other restaurant groups to make a move.
"We just felt this is what made sense for us," he said.