Some Ontarians applaud province's reopening plan for patios, while others say it's long overdue

Some restaurateurs are breathing a sigh of relief following the announcement ofOntario's three-step reopening plan, which allowsbar and restaurant patios tooperateagain by mid-June, but some Ontarianssay the move is long overdue.

Premier Doug Ford announced Thursday that he hopes to start Phase 1of the reopening plan by the week of June 14. This includes permittingoutdoor gatherings of up to 10 people and outdoordining with a limit of four people per table.

The announcement was welcome news to Patrick Marzouk,the owner of Regulars Bar on King Street West.

"It was a feeling of relief," he told CBC News following the announcement, adding that he'svery excited tomakeTorontoresidents "feel human and normal once again."

Marzouksayshe's been ready to reopen his patio eversince the province ordered them to shut down just weeks after allowing them to reopenamid the devastating third wave of the pandemic.

But David Hopkins, president of restaurant consulting firm TheFifteen Group, maintains outdoor dining should have been open much sooner, citing relatively low outdoor transmission of COVID-19.

"I'm definitely not excited about how long it's taken to get patios open," said Hopkins.

"We should already be open. Patios should be thriving right now," he said, adding that programs like CafeTO should be "off to the races" instead of sitting idle.

Food industry has 'been through the wringer'

The Ford government says the plan is to have at least 60 per cent of people vaccinated before the first phase of the reopening plan. To date, Ontario's Minister of Health Christine Elliott says the province is at 58 per cent.

"We're already at 58 per cent," said Elliott at Thursday's news conference. "We should be at 65 per cent of all Ontarians well before the end of May."

Fordsaysthe plan to lift public health restrictions will be based on vaccination rates and otherkey public health and health-care indicators. The province says each phase of the reopening plan will be evaluated over a span of 21 days before moving to the next phase.

Marzouk says he is confident in this plan because the province is "caught up now" with vaccines.

"It's definitely a relief to see that and Ithink that this time around, we're going to be opening and we're going to stay open," he said.

Hopkins saysthe food industry has "been though the wringer" throughout the pandemic, noting the impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns onthehospitality sector. While he is confident that business will run smoothly for restaurants as more people get immunized, but he says restaurants will still struggle under this plan.

"Ithink the biggest concern is that restaurants are still struggling and this reopening plan it's a pretty lengthy plan ... We have to hit some big [vaccination] numbers for restaurants to largely succeed this summer. It's a bit disappointing," he said.

Residents weigh in

CBCNews spoke to some Toronto residents, including James Darch, who says it's high time patios and the city as a whole begins to reopen.

"I think people are excited to ... stop feeling anything we do is almost breaking the rules," he said, citing the restrictions on outdoor andindoor gatherings,

Bryanna Blackwell, meanwhile, isconcernedabout what the reopening of bar patioscould mean for residents who may flout COVID-19 safety measures after a few drinks.

"The crowds of people who have been drinking all night, and obviously at that point masks are off, distance doesn't matter. So there's a little bit of thatthat I'm concerned about," she said.

Meanwhile, Regulars Bar ownerMarzouksays he and his staff will follow strictCOVID-19 safety protocols, including temperature checks for all staff, wearing masks, spacing out tables to maintain distances of six feet from other patrons and sanitization of tables and chairs after use.

As vaccine numbers go up and case numbers wane, Marzouk says he hopes the government will loosen the four-personcap on tables.

"Right now, I'm just happy and excited to be open."