Measures to increase business for salons and restaurants reversed with province wide lockdown

Local hairstylists and restaurateurs are frustrated after the provincial government changed its COVID-19 protocols.

Less than a week ago, the province announced salons would be able to open starting April 12 even if they were in lockdown. Restaurants could start serving customers on the patio immediately

But today, Premier Doug Ford announced a four-week province wide lockdown and took those options off the table. Starting Saturday, restaurants will return to takeout service only and salons won’t be able to open April 12 as planned.

“I’m very emotional today. It’s very frustrating to know we can’t open again,” Jen Pama of Total Hair and Body Care in Petrolia tells The Independent. Pama has been closed for a total of seven months in the last year.

“This has definitely been a mental struggle; open, closed, open, closed, open And closed for the third time.”

Jenilynn Booy of Wyoming agrees. She reopened her business, Styles Salon, a year before the pandemic began hoping to make a living as a single mom. “I’d just been trying to get everybody in from the last lockdown,” she says. “And they’re still calling.

“I’m always the one to get you in at the last minute; it’s really hard for me not to honour that.”

Tom Stoukas of Athena’s Restaurant just brought his patio chairs out this week preparing to reopen his permanent patio on Petrolia Line. The chairs will stay stacked for the next month.

“It’s really disappointing because we spent a lot of money on that patio…and now were being told we can’t use it.

“They tell us indoor dining is dangerous, now were told outdoor dining is dangerous, there is going to be a lot of anger over this.

“We’re doing everything they’re asking…and there is a lot of anger.”

Stoukas says he’s lost about 40 per cent of his business over the last year because of the pandemic restrictions. And he says, in the restaurant industry, that’s pretty good. “We’re lucky to be down only 40 per cent; some places are much worse,” he says. “

“A lot of the restaurants were counting on the patio for relief and now they took that away…It’s bizzare.”

Stoukas says government programs and loyal customers have helped keep his restaurant afloat, but after a year in business, he’s still waiting to turn a profit.

“It’s hard to run a business when they’re making changes week-by-week,” says Stoukas.

Meantime salon owners are calling back clients telling them they will be rebooking appointments in a month. Pama is worried it may be longer. “The key word that stood out for me today was we will be closed for at least 28 days.”

And she says, it doesn’t make sense salons have to close when all the other retail stores are staying open with 25 capacity.

“I understand we are in close contact with people but does he (Premier Ford) understand that the extensive cleaning that was already in place before COVID happened? We already had to follow the strictest protocol because of our industry,” she says.

For Booy, the shutdown of salons means she has to find other ways to make money; “I have bills to pay and rent to pay,” she says. She’s taking the odd job here and there but she admits, it has been difficult.

“I feel like I have no control over my life; it is controlled by everything else.”