The City of Cranbrook will be rolling out the patio program early in an effort to help local restaurants after new restrictions were announced Monday.

The province stopped indoor dining and liquor sales, indoor adult group fitness and indoor religious services for the next three weeks citing rising case numbers. Patio dining and take-out are not affected.

The City of Cranbrook says that with Monday’s announcement around the three-week circuit breaker, they have decided to expedite the patio program through a Council meeting in the coming days.

“The City has had a downtown seasonal outdoor patio program in place for several years. For the last few weeks, staff has been working on some program revisions for exactly this purpose – to allow restaurants to easily expand outdoor seating capacity during the pandemic,” said Mayor Lee Pratt. “This would support business by providing space for additional customers and further encourage vibrancy in our downtown and at other restaurant establishments across the community.”

The City explained that Council will be meeting over the next few days to discuss the program further and ensure all necessary approvals are in place.

The City will be working with the Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Business Association to get the program moving and provide information to establishments.

READ: B.C. stops indoor dining, fitness, religious service due to COVID-19 spike

corey.bullock@cranbrooktownsman.com
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