London's patios have reopened, but an old rite of summer has a new set of rules

The city's outdoor restaurant patios sprang back to life Friday, with many Londoners rediscovering a social rite that's been missing from weeks of lockdown: a table in the sun, with friends and a cold drink.

Outdoor restaurant patios reopened Friday, along with hair salons, barber shops and some swimming pools as Ontario eased some of the strict lockdown measures that have been in place since the coronavirus crisis first erupted in March. 

While many restaurants in downtown London remain shuttered, those that did open did so under new rules: no inside service, tables two metres apart and while they seemed lively, they weren't overflowing with customers. 

It was a reawakening of sorts — and like the first few groggy moments of coming out of a long slumber, many were still adjusting themselves to the dawn of a new day. 

At Barney's patio in downtown London, an establishment where many go to see and be seen, three women shared a carafe of sangria and talked about the new normal. 

'Normal? Not at all'

"We're spaced out enough, this could work, but normal? No, not at all," said Bridgette Cocqyt. "I'm just grateful it's open."

"You know how Barney's normally is though? It's so packed. Like this, is a different vibe," said Emma Pensa, looking across the sparsely populated space.

"They told us you can't go and talk to other tables, even though that's what you do here."

It's one of a number of new rules at outdoor patios in the post-pandemic new normal. Behind the restaurant, in the parking lot, staff have hastily carved out a new entrance, complete with hashmarks so customers can line up at a safe distance. 

A casual drink now has formal rules

Lisa Prefontaine waits at one of a number of tables set up in the makeshift asphalt lobby with her neighbour Jordan. They talk about the new rules that have made going out for a casual drink quite a formal affair. 

"You call, you make a reservation. You're only allowed to show up 10 minutes early or 10 minutes after, otherwise you lose it. No table-hopping. Cash is not allowed. Six people per table." 

"I'm very happy about it, as long as I'm out of my house I don't care," she said. "I'm working at home with two kids at home. It's a lot. This is a little light at the end of the tunnel." 

"We need this." 

Across the downtown at The Scot's Corner, a brand new patio is set up on the grey stones of Dundas Place. The beer is flowing, the sun is shining and people are thankful to ease back into one of their favourite social rituals.

"I don't think there's a better feeling than that actually. Like, we're community based people, we need each other," said Mike Peacock. "It's a damn fine thing having people out and about again." 

"It's been a long three months," said Dianne Thomson, the owner of The Scot's Corner. "This is a nice start to the opening." 

Thomson has been forced closed since the day before St. Patrick's Day, one of the biggest drinking days of the year. She said she's ready to get back to business. 

"Look how beautiful it is, but last year we had to go through the construction," she said, referring to the Dundas Place flex-street project. "We didn't have a front door to our business. Business was down 25 per cent last year. What's it going to be like this year? It's tough."

"We lost a lot of our lunch crowd because people are working from home. So is it ever going to be back to the way it was? I just wish I had a crystal ball, I wish I knew what was in front of us. "

To make matters worse, Thomson said the rules around reopening are vague and the province gave businesses little advance notice.

"They gave us four days," she said. "We're trying to do everything right but they're not giving us much direction."

Thomson said she's spaced tables at a safe distance, has staff wiping down surfaces more regularly and is making masks available to customers, but it all comes at an added cost and smaller crowds. 

"You can't operate at full capacity," she said. "We're just going to go with the flow and see what happens."