A Vancouver restaurant ordered to close Friday after defying a provincial health COVID-19 order remained open Saturday.
Owner Federico Fuoco of Gusto A Taste of Italy in Olympic Village refused to abide by B.C.’s three-week “circuit breaker” plan to curb COVID-19 spread. On Friday, customers were seen dining inside of the eatery.
Vancouver Coastal Health confirmed it ordered the restaurant to close.
It remained open Saturday, this time offering patio dining and take-out service in line with provincial health orders.
Look whose open again this morning
Some staff still unmasked pic.twitter.com/KZXZU7tMbi
— Brendan Dawe (@BrendanDawe) April 3, 2021
Fuoco said small-business owners were “blindsided” by the B.C. government’s move to limit dining to patio and take-out service.
His long-time restaurant, Federico’s Supper Club, shuttered last April – among the 10,000 Restaurants Canada estimates have closed amid the pandemic.
RELATED: B.C. stops indoor dining, fitness, religious service due to COVID-19 spike
The order – which came into effect Tuesday – was announced Monday by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. On Wednesday, B.C. reported 1,013 new COVID-19 cases, its highest daily tally to date.
Henry said, “with March break and universities being out of session for a while, we’re seeing that lead to augmentation of transmission through places like restaurants and bars.”
Vancouver Coastal Health said the restaurant owner could face a $2,300 violation ticket but declined to confirm whether one would be issued.
The health authority said it “supports businesses in the region to ensure they can operate safely and that they comply with COVID-19 guidelines.”
READ MORE: For small businesses that survive COVID, recovery is expected to be difficult
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