VICTORIA, BC – With the second stage of British Columbia’s COVID-19 economic relaunch going into effect today (May 19th), breweries in most of the province are now allowed to reopen their taprooms to the public, albeit with a number of restrictions in place.
As per the Government of BC‘s Restart Plan, pubs and restaurants – a category that includes brewery taprooms and brewpubs – are now able to allow customers to order and consume food and drink onsite for the first time since the pandemic lockdown went into effect two months ago.
Food and drink establishments that do choose to reopen will have to adhere to a list of regulations issued by the Provincial Health Officer, including operating at 50% seating capacity or less, having at least 2 metres of distance between tables, and not allowing groups of more than 6 people to sit together. Further details on the policies to be followed have been provided by Work Safe BC.
Some BC breweries including Parallel 49 and Steamworks have announced that they will be reopening their taprooms this week under the new guidelines, while others have indicated that they will be keeping doors closed until further restrictions are lifted.
For more details on reopening plans, BC-based readers are advised to check with their local breweries.