Just a couple weeks ago, you’d likely never even heard of the term "social distancing." Hand sanitizer was a dollar store item that few even gave a second thought, and Penticton's typically jam-packed event season was ready to explode.
But as we've all learned, a lot can change in two weeks. And the provincial government's ban last Thursday on events attracting 250-plus people seemed to drive home the point that our social world, at least for a time, will be very different.
But there's nothing - so far - that rules out smaller gatherings. The type of stuff you'd see at restaurants and pubs.
So we approached a few local notables to ask how their weekend went and ascertain what, if any, measures they'd taken to help squash the spread of a virus we're just beginning to understand.
We started with Chris Royal of Pizzeria Tratto Napoletana, who said his restaurant saw a "significant slowdown" over the weekend, but attributes that to "every event in Penticton being canceled last week."
According to Royal, Tratto is taking coronavirus "very seriously" and has voluntarily implemented a social distancing plan. "We've removed certain tables to create some social distance for people. We've lowered our seating capacity slightly, and if we need to, we'll lose our bar seating too."
Patrons are now also expected to box up their own leftovers. And there's a hand sanitizer station at the front of the restaurant and "great soap" in the washroom.
"I've basically told our staff that we are all nurses now and we must treat ourselves as such," said Royal. "And as we've discovered, we've created a very cleanable restaurant here, with a lot of flat, hard surfaces."
A kilometer down the road, Elma has implemented a variety of extra precautions beyond its usual "rigorous and strict health and sanitation procedures."
Those precautions include increased cleaning in high-traffic areas and on doors and handles, disinfecting all tables and chairs between each guest visit, and sanitizing all menus and debit terminals after each use.
In addition, Elma enforces and monitors increased hand-washing, and requests staff members who are sick or displaying symptoms to refrain from work and not return without first obtaining a physician's approval.
"We will continue to refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and our local public health agencies, and are committed to continue to adhere to the safest course of action for all guests and employees."
Over at Bad Tattoo Brewing, partner Marley Gravely said business Friday and Saturday was strong. Really strong.
"After all the heavy news," she said Saturday afternoon, "I was curious as to how it would impact the weekend. But we've been full all day and were full last night too."
She added that most seemed "mindful" of the current situation, and some brought along their own hand sanitizer.
In terms of coronavirus-centric modifications, Gravely said Bad Tattoo has changed up the way it handles growler sales. "The growlers that people bring in," she said, "we're just changing them for ones we have here in the brewery that are obviously clean and sterile."
"And as always with the staff, it will always be wash your hands, don't touch your face, and just be really vigilant and proactive about being extra clean. We work in the food service industry, so this is something we've always done."
Co-owner Ryan Hawk of Wayne & Freda said weekend business was "normal from what I know so far, though we're still in year one, so every day is a question mark."
Like Bad Tattoo and Elma, Wayne & Freda hasn't yet implemented any formal social distancing measures, though Hawk said customers can easily separate chairs "as they feel comfortable." And the staff, which Hawk said is "always diligent with self-hygiene," washes their hands every ten minutes and refrains completely from touching their faces.
"We've also discontinued taking personal cups from customers for the time being, and we've informed staff to be extremely diligent on repetitive cleaning of items like tables, chairs, handles, and the creamer station."
Brexit Pub boss Martyn Lewis said that the Thursday night dinner hour, right after the ban was announced, was the slowest he's seen. "We had two people in the restaurant," he said, "though Friday and Saturday were much stronger."
Lewis, who also carries a master's degree in Pharmacy and "worked as a pharmacist in the last H1N1 epidemic in the UK, handing out tamiflu," said his experience has made him "extra vigilant."
"We are making sure our sanitizer concentrations are tested to be as they should be. Our spray sanitizer, we use little test strips to make sure they have a value of 200. And we make sure our sanitizer dishwasher concentration is at 50 parts per million."
Brexit has yet to reduce the number of tables or seat customers further apart. Lewis believes in the positive impact of social distancing, but feels its benefits come to the fore when that distance is more than just a couple meters.
"As far as the virus, if anyone comes in showing any symptoms, and I do know what they are, they are going home immediately. And that's the number one message from me. If you're feeling sick, you must quarantine yourself."
