THUNDER BAY – Red isn’t John Murray’s favourite colour of the pandemic rainbow, but it beats grey any day of the week.
Murray, the head chef and owner of the Red Lion Smokehouse, on Friday were busy prepping the evening’s busy takeout service, but also starting to logistically look at what it will take to reopen as soon as Tuesday, when Thunder Bay emerges from lock-down status into the Red-Control zone.
The move means restaurants in the district may reopen to in-person dining, with a maximum of four people per table and 10 patrons inside at any given time.
Though he hasn’t officially decided to reopen to in-person dining, it’s very likely the popular north-side eatery and pub will welcome customers back inside next week.
Murray and his staff are ecstatic.
“We’re lucky enough to have a really great restaurant community downtown and we’re just really excited to welcome them back, our regulars, and to see their smiling faces again,” Murray said, less than an hour after the province announced the city’s return to the colour-coded framework.
“It might not be a lot of people dining in at one time, but we are taking measures to space things out accordingly to give guests the right combination of a good time while they’re here, but we do want to have as many guests as we can when it’s possible.”
Murray, who has yet to finalize details of the reopening, which may or may not happen on Tuesday, said the plan is to slot customers in for 90 minutes, to give them the dining out experience while still being able to get as many guests fed as possible.
Guests will have to wear masks except when eating or drinking and provide full contact information. Buffets, dancing, singing and live music are not permitted, establishments must close by 10 p.m. and alcohol may not be served after 9 p.m.
Restaurateurs weren’t the only business owners celebrating Friday’s news.
Tony Muia, owner of Serenity Salon and Wellness, said it’s good to learn his business will be among the personal care service outlets that will be allowed to reopen on Tuesday.
It’s been a tough 11 months, he said, his business closed for several months in the spring, then after being open for several more months, closed since Christmas Eve when Ontario went into a province-wide lockdown.
“I’ll tell you, a bunch of my clients got called the other day already because I was hopeful we were going back into red,” Muia said on Friday.
“Am I happy? You have no idea. I’m over the moon. I can’t wait to get back at it.”
Under the framework, Muia and his staff will be able to perform most services, with the exception of those that require the removal of a customer’s mask.
Hair cuts, colourings and manicures will all be permitted.
Muia said initially he thought the Christmas lock-down would last two weeks and things would return to normal.
It just didn’t work out that way and was a frustrating couple of months.
“It’s difficult,” he said. “And I’m a very positive person. I love life,” he said.
Gyms are also allowed to reopen, but are restricted to just 10 people in areas where there are weights or exercise equipment or per indoor class, and 25 people per outdoor class.
Movie theatres, however, are not on the list of businesses that can reopen under red, although drive-in theatres are allowed.
