British Columbia health officials are calling “game off” and asking people not to gather to watch the Super Bowl this month amid continuing COVID-19 restrictions.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Monday the province will be updating its health orders on Friday, but is hinting they could include further restrictions around planned parties.
“Hold off on the Super Bowl celebrations this year. You should not be planning, whether it’s at home or in a bar or restaurant, viewings of the Super Bowl,” Henry said.
“If we are not able to control this and start seeing spread again, we can undo all the good work that we have done. We need to respect (workplace) staff and not put them at risk. Stay small, stay apart, keeping everyone safe so that we can keep our bars, our restaurants, our retail spaces, our workplaces open.”
Current provincial orders allow indoor restaurant and bar dining with strict safety provisions. Tables are required to be six feet apart and tables are only allowed to have a maximum of six people. The orders also require the volume of the television or music to be below the volume of normal conversation.
The ban on social gatherings also applies to restaurants, meaning diners are asked to only go out with people from their household or household bubble.
Health Minister Adrian Dix said the ban on Super Bowl parties does not just mean restaurants and bars.
“Many people have a Super Bowl or Grey Cup parties in their homes, and that is not on this year. This is the year to watch it with the people living in your household,” Dix said.
“Occasionally in the past, I’ve attended Super Bowl parties, Grey Cup parties, and they are events that are almost designed for the spread of COVID-19.”
B.C. Liberal jobs and economic recovery critic Todd Stone said the province should be more specific around the new orders that could restrict Super Bowl parties at bars or restaurants.
The hospitality sector was frustrated when Henry abruptly announced an earlier cut-off time for liquor sales on New Year’s Eve just days before.
Stone says the last-minute change in December left business owners scrambling with no choice but to grapple with significant additional sunk costs, having previously adjusted their service models to accommodate the rules that existed at the time.
“Many restaurants and pubs are barely hanging on and cannot afford another surprise rule change like what happened on New Year’s Eve,” Stone said.
“The annual Super Bowl is one of the biggest annual events for these establishments, but owners are already worried they will be blindsided by the government again after buying advertising, ordering extra inventory and scheduling additional staff.”
The BC Restaurant & Foodservices Association has been working with the provincial government around possible measures. CEO Ian Tostenson told Jill Bennett on CKNW’s Jill Bennett Show on Tuesday that the industry is hoping to keep the current restrictions in place, and is reminding football fans to follow the existing rules.
Tostenson is encouraging people to only come to restaurants with their own household and not to party with friends like a typical Super Bowl.
“If you go to a restaurant, a pub or a bar for that manner, you will be safer because it is controlled. That is a much better situation than someone having a party at their house,” Tostenson said.
“It is just one day of our lives. We have to do it a different way.”