KITCHENER -- Restaurant workers will be included in Phase Two of the vaccine rollout, according to provincial officials.
“It’s great news,” said James Rilett, Restaurants Canada Vice-President of Central Canada. “It’s exactly what we had asked for the government to do and we appreciate them moving to clarify that.”
Industry advocates have been pushing for staff to be included on the list for weeks, after they weren’t specifically mentioned when the list was unveiled by the government.
“We are one of the few industries that are actually dealing with the general public and they’re allowed to take their masks off,” said Kate Watson, a server at Molly Bloom’s Irish Pub in Waterloo.
Watson serves customers indoors and on the patio while wearing the proper personal protective equipment, but she says the job still comes with risk during a pandemic.
“We are not always able to maintain that six feet, as we are putting drinks down and food down in front of them,” she said.
The owner of the Waterloo pub, Brian Watson, says having the vaccination would help staff feel better about serving people.
“I think anyone dealing with the public should be inoculated,” he added.
The Ministry of Health confirmed to CTV Kitchener on Monday that restaurant workers will be included in Phase Two of the vaccine rollout.
A Kitchener restaurant owner who closed indoor dining after the pandemic took off and only remains open for take-out and delivery said he hopes staff and other Ontarians will be vaccinated soon.
“‘We need to be vaccinated as soon as possible,” said Mamoun Yanes, co-owner of Arabesque Family Restaurant. “We are dealing with customers face-to-face, we are preparing their food, and we are serving a lot of people, Yanes added.
Rilett said it’s good to know restaurant staff are in the system and hopefully an update on the time frame for vaccinations will be available in the next few weeks.
