As the clock struck 12:01 a.m. on Monday, patrons streamed into DROM Taberna on Queen Street West in Toronto to experience live music, which some haven’t been able to do in months.
“It felt like a high school party. Where everyone kind of showed up at once and we’re streaming, just excited to be back and able to party inside, as much as you can while sitting as tables” said Jeremy Worden, saxophonist with Big Smoke Brass.
The band performed at the Queen West restaurant on Monday, when restaurants, gyms and cinemas across the province were able to start welcoming back guests for the first time in nearly a month, after COVID-19 restrictions shut them all down once again.
For Warden, this is one of the first times he was able to perform with the band at an indoor restaurant since before the pandemic.
“This is what we trained for professionally, and what we live for, and why we live in Toronto,” Worden said.
“The reason a lot of people choose to live in Toronto is because of the arts and culture. And that all kind of got deleted with the COVID restrictions to an extent,” he said.
The musician said his band felt “excitement and relief to be able to do our job and the career we all went to school for.”
After closing Jan. 9 by government orders to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and the highly contagious omicron variant, businesses that Humber News spoke with say they are happy to be able to reopen across the province on Monday.
“We are so happy that our guests in Ontario will be able to enjoy the full big screen experience when our theatres reopen today,” said Sarah Van Lange, Vice President of Communications at Cineplex.
But some businesses are still hesitant to open because last-minute changes have hindered openings in the past.
The Morning After, a brunch restaurant in Toronto, decided to stay closed for one more week, to make sure the new limits are here to stay.
“Although restrictions are being lifted tomorrow, we decided that we would wait another week to open in case we get deja vu,” the restaurant said in an Instagram post.
Here’s a list of restrictions that eased in Ontario:
- Social gatherings: limits lifted to 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors.
- Indoor public settings, including restaurants, bars, gyms, museums, galleries, casinos: Capacity limits at 50 per cent for most places.
- Spectator areas for sports, cinemas and concert venues: 50 per cent capacity or 500 people, whichever is less.
- Table limits: Seat to 10 people who must remain seated at their table, including at nightclubs and strip clubs.
- Dancing and singing: Not allowed except for workers and performers, all patrons must stay seated.
- Proof of vaccination requirements continues to apply in existing settings.
The province expects to lift more restrictions Feb. 21, including the reopening of nightclubs and religious services and full capacity for restaurants, cinemas and event spaces.
The Ontario government says it hopes to lift all restrictions by March 14.