HALIFAX -- Halifax-area restaurants were given the go-ahead to reopen earlier this week -- a move that couldn't come soon enough for owners or the musicians who make a living entertaining customers.
The green light was given for restaurants to reopen on Monday, however, The Old Triangle Pub only opened Wednesday because getting supplies proved difficult.
But the doors are now unlocked.
"We're delighted to be back open again," said owner Brian Doherty.
Restaurant and bar owners have had to close their businesses for extended periods of time twice in the last 10 months. Doherty hopes this opening is permanent.
He says government subsidies have bridged the gap for some, but getting people back into their building is the key to staying afloat.
"At the end of the day, we really need people to get confident again about going back to the food and beverage industry," he said.
Doherty is also the president of Music Nova Scotia. He says the shutdown has quieted stages provincewide.
"The music industry, like the food and beverage industry has been devastated by the COVID," Doherty said. "Very few musicians are able to work."
However, just because restaurants are allowed to be open doesn’t mean they all are.
Some, like the Pleasant Street Diner in Dartmouth, N.S., are still closed this week as they wait to see what the COVID-19 numbers look like following the holidays.
"We've seen what happened in New Brunswick, the high cases that have been going on there," said diner owner Stephen Fatouros. "We've been doing great here in Nova Scotia and we just thought we'd take this week and take the cautious approach and see how it goes. Hopefully next week we'll be open for dining, because our place is a dine-in place."
For now it's takeout only, that is just fine with their customers like Amy Madore.
"I understand why," Madore said. "Safety comes first, so if they can still accommodate without opening, I can see them doing that, I respect it."
With four new cases reproted in Nova Scotia Thursday, the province is trending in the right direction so, next week, customers might be able to sit inside and enjoy their meal.
