CALGARY -- Sunday marked the first day since new COVID-19 health restrictions started, and while gyms, bars and restaurants closed their doors, many were still hard at work.
Posto pizzeria is just one place trading in tables for takeout containers as it switches to online and phone orders.
The restaurant is — like many others — adapting to the new rules by changing their business model.
So while Alberta dine-in is done for 2020, Posto staff say they still anticipate busy days ahead.
“We tried to put together a great menu to make sure the whole household could eat and enjoy themselves when they’re at home,” executive chef Glen Mazer said. “In the big picture, we’d like to hit a certain number (of sales) every day, but we’d also like to keep the lights on and keep people employed and have a little fun with some food.”
Bars and restaurants are just part of the new restrictions.
Casinos, gyms and arenas are also shut down, and retailers and places of worship are now dealing with tighter capacity limits.
But as the closures start, there is some good news.
The provincial COVID-19 reproductive value dropped below one on Saturday.
“Right now it’s actually at 0.97, which means that 100 daily cases is going to lead to roughly 97 cases in about four days,” hospital biostatistician Ryan Imgrund told CTV News. “It usually takes one or two transmission cycles, which is approximately 14 to 28 days, to really hammer that value down.”
So, if the restrictions are effective, Albertans can likely start to see changes by the end of 2020.
“If they’re able to bring that R-value to 0.9 or under, you’re going to see cases in the next one month go down by half,” Imgrund said.
So, as the restrictions start, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. But getting there could feel like a long journey.
At Posto, as a skeleton staff sends out the first online orders, they’re staying optimistic.
“Hopefully this is only 28 days and when we reopen we can bring (all our staff) back,” Mazer said.
