After 'the toughest year', restaurants, gyms and cinemas reopen as Waterloo region enters Step 3

As of 12:01 a.m. Friday, Waterloo region and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph entered Step 3 of the provincial reopening plan. 

Despite the region recently entering Step 2 on Monday, the region's medical officer Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, said case numbers have improved which means the region can safely reopen. 

Though she encourages residents in the region to get vaccinated.

"Waterloo region residents are strongly encouraged to get their second dose of vaccine as soon as they can ... as delta continues to circulate widely and remains a threat in our region," said Wang. 

How business owners are welcoming back their clients 

Indoor dining, gyms and cinemas will be allowed to operate with a limited capacity, all while following COVID-19 safety protocols. 

"We're excited to welcome our clients inside, as well as outside," said Jay Taylor, co-owner of Morty's Pub and Patio in Waterloo. 

He says the restaurant's indoor space will have air filters to ensure that the space is properly ventilated.

"They're very high-end air filter machines so we're very confident that inside it's safe," said Taylor. 

In addition, Morty's Pub and Patio customers will be sat at tables distanced at two metres. 

Kitchener's Gym 41 owner Kristian Manning said his gym will follow the same protocols that were in place previously, prior to the province's shut down. For instance, members are expected to clean and wipe the workout equipment with sanitizers, socially distance, and book workout schedules in advance. 

"We actually like being able to ensure that the place is clean, members are still going to be asked to grab a towel, a spray bottle and some disinfectant, and wipe down everything they touch," said Manning. 

"It made the gym great, it made the gym safer… We just think it's a great protocol."

Chief executive officer at Landmark Cinemas Canada, Bill Walker said they're adding 25 per cent capacity in the auditoriums, as well as distancing between the seating maps.

Walker explained the transmission of the virus in cinemas has been under control in the province as "the format of the movies is sitting quietly in one direction and not talking to anyone."

"In transmission perspectives, that's why theatres have had such a great track record throughout this pandemic, Walker said.

'This year was by far the toughest'

Taylor said it would take his restaurant and the industry years to recover from what they've lost due to the pandemic.

"In 31 years of doing business, this last year was by far the toughest," said Taylor. 

"Every time we went into different stages we would either call people back to work or lay them off, it was very difficult [and] very hard on all of us." 

Currently, the restaurant is not fully staffed but has managed to bring back 95 per cent of its staff members from last summer. They're working to hire more people this coming week.

Gym 41 operates on an owner-operated basis, meaning that a full staff team is not required to be at the gym. Manning said they only had three staff members, and lost the opportunity to keep one staff member who worked with them on a regular basis. 

Now she works on a less frequent basis, and this is hard for Manning and his business. 

"That's a big hole for us, that was actually helping me facilitate my time with my family on Tuesdays and Thursdays," he said. 

"It's a struggle, it's definitely an issue when you're closed and people are looking for work, and you could lose good help. That's definitely something we've encountered."

It's been 'incredibly difficult' for the cinema industry the past 16 months, according to Walker.

"We've invested a lot of money just to be able to be here," he said. "Keeping our talent on board, keeping our management teams employed through all of this, and just trying to endure the losses to get to a day where we can finally, successfully open in Ontario." 

Similar to Taylor, Walker said it's been hard on their staff since they've been unable to work and the management team hasn't been able to do the work they love. 

Despite the hardships, optimism remains

Nonetheless, many business owners in the region are looking forward to seeing their customers walk through their doors again and they hope it only gets better from here. 

"We're happy to be open, we're happy that we can get to this stage and we want to stay at this stage, and hope that we recover," said Taylor. 

Members of Gym 41 are excited to be back, and so is the owner. 

"We're stoked to be back in business, we're excited," said Manning. "Our members have been fluttering us with excitement and praise to be opening."