Today, British Columbia's Provincial Health Officer, Dr.Bonnie Henry, announced further restrictions regarding the sale of liquor on New Year's Eve. The following amendments are now included:
- All on-premise and liquor retail must end by 8pm on December 31st.
- All on-premise liquor consumption must end by 9pm, effective until 9am, on January 1, 2021.
- Premises that do not include full meal service must close no later than 9pm on December 31.
- Food service providers may remain open beyond 9pm for food service only.
- This order applies to any establishment that sells or serves alcohol, which includes hotels, bars, restaurants, pubs, liquor stores and grocery stores.
We know many of you operate on-site restaurants and/or bars and offer on-premise liquor sales and that this will, of course, be yet another devastating financial blow on what is typically one of the most profitable nights of the year for our industry.
We are deeply frustrated that this amendment was announced last minute, leaving many of you scrambling to restructure staffing, amend reservations, cancel plans etc. We share your disappointment especially as our hospitality sector has proven our ability to operate safely and in accordance with strict health and safety measures.
Should you have any questions regarding these new amendments, please respond to this email.
For full details on this new order please see below.
