Stage 2 of the second phase of Ontario’s coronavirus pandemic reopening plan began Friday, and there was no shortage of excitement from Kingston, Ont. residents.
Lineups of eager Kingstonians looking to get a haircut were seen across the city. A line of around 30 people formed outside of Dino’s Barber Shop on Princess Street, many telling Global News they’ve been in line for over two hours.
“I haven’t had a haircut since February, so I’m patiently waiting,” said Kevin Carter
“I usually have my hair short and thin, but now it’s hippy style,” said Ian Stewart before entering the barbershop.
Barbershops were not alone when it came to a sudden boom in business. Many downtown patios were filled with patrons enjoying a meal and a beverage, one of which was at Tango Nuevo.
“We’re really excited to jump back into things,” said Maggie Maple the manager of Tango Nuevo.
Staff at the small downtown restaurant implemented a plexiglass barrier between customers on the patio.
During Phase 2, however, restaurants who don’t have an outdoor dining area would be required to only provide curbside pickup.
That wasn’t an option for one Kingston brewery, though, which took it upon itself after Tuesday’s provincial announcement to begin construction on a 45-seat patio.
“It took us two days, and other than placing a few planters around the edges, we are ready to open it Saturday,” said Ryan Dhillon, the head brewer at Daft Brewing Co.
The uptown brewery opened in February and was forced to close shortly after when the pandemic began. Dhillon says the start of Phase 2 is a fresh start to build a customer base.
“We’re ready to go. I’m excited to see the customers come back,” said Dhillon.
Friday also saw the reopening of shopping malls, with the majority of the stores in the Cataraqui Centre open, which included nail salons.
“We are following the rules. We do a lot of cleaning, and we make sure to sterilize the equipment, and we wear these face shields too,” said Julie Contreras, an employee of LA Nails in the Cataraqui Centre.
Services such as beauty salons, hair services, hair removal services and piercing services were all able to reopen with “the proper health and safety protocols in place.”
According to the province, eyebrow grooming or face makeup or any other service that “tends to the customers face” were not allowed to reopen.
As part of the current stage, the province is introducing “social circles” that allow people to interact with each other outside of their household.
The “social circle” guidelines allow a maximum of 10 people, including those in their household, without physical distancing.