With less than a day until people gather with family and friends to celebrate the holiday season, people should expect closures and reduced hours over the break.
Here are the businesses and organizations offering different hours and services between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.
Shopping
As of Dec. 19, Ontario has introduced a 50 per cent capacity limit for indoor public settings, including personal care services, shopping malls and retailers.
Masonville Mall will be closed on Christmas Day. The mall in north London will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Boxing Day.
For those shopping in the south end, White Oaks Mall will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve, closed on Christmas Day and open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Boxing Day.
For west-end shoppers, Westmount Shopping Centre will be closed Christmas Day, but will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Christmas Eve and on Boxing Day from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Cherry Hill Village Mall does not have any holiday hours listed.
Walmart locations in London are open varying hours until 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day, and open varying hours on Boxing Day.
All grocery stores in London will be closed on Christmas Day and have slightly varying hours for Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. Customers are asked to call ahead or check online for specific store hours.
The Rexall location at 1593 Adelaide St. N. will be open on Dec. 25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. All Shoppers Drug Marts in London are open Christmas Eve and Boxing Day with varying hours and closed Christmas Day.
LCBO locations in London will close at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve and remain closed until Dec. 27. Select stores will be open on Boxing Day, but people should check with their local LCBO to find out.
The Beer Store locations will also close at 6 p.m. on Dec. 24. The following locations will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 26:
- 1600 Dundas St. E.
- 155 Clarke Rd.
- 414 Wharncliffe Rd.
- 1080 Adelaide St. N.
- 1005 Wellington Rd. S.
Government facilities and services
City hall, along with a number of city services will be closed from noon on Dec. 24 until 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 4, 2022. People can find a full list of closure and reduced hours for the City of London services on its website.
All London Public Libraries will be open from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve, except for the Glanworth branch, which will be closed. All locations will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and Dec. 27 in lieu of Boxing Day. All branches will open on for regular hours on Dec. 28.
Transit
Over the holiday season, London Transit Commission will be operating on holiday and special schedules. On Christmas Eve, buses will be operating on a regular weekday schedule from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
On Dec. 25, and Boxing Day London Transit will be operating on holiday schedules for many routes, which means service will begin at 9 a.m. rather than 7 a.m. There will also be special Christmas schedules for some routes. Visit LTC’s routes and schedule page for more details.
Vaccine and testing clinics
The Middlesex London Health Unit (MLHU) and London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) have announced holiday hours for the Carling COVID-19 Assessment Centre. The centre will operate from 9:20 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 24 and from 10:20 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 25 before resuming regular hours on Sunday, Dec. 26 (9:20 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.).
Telephone booking will be unavailable from Dec. 24 to 27 as well as on Jan. 3, 2022, but appointments can still be booked online at any time.
On the health unit’s website, residents can find information on pop-up clinics, mass vaccination clinics and pharmacies; guidance for anyone vaccinated outside of the province or country; transportation support for those in need; and more.
Anyone looking to be tested for COVID-19 can find information about the locations of testing sites on the health unit’s website.
— with files from Global News’ Jaclyn Carbone and Jacquelyn LeBel