CALGARY -- The Ship and Anchor pub will be closing its doors temporarily amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The popular pub on 17th Avenue S.W. made the announcement on social media Monday.
"The health, safety and well-being of our staff, customers and community is our top priority," read the post.
"To this end we have decided to temporarily close the Ship. This is effective immediately, and will, at the very least, include us being closed tomorrow for St. Patrick’s Day."
The move comes after city officials declared a local state of emergency on Sunday over the spread of COVID-19, mandating that all bars and restaurants limit capacity to 250 people or half their occupancy, whichever is less.
Leopold's Tavern announced earlier Monday it is closing all locations across the country at 4 p.m. Monday.
The Garage Sports Bar and Restaurant in Eau Claire Market was temporarily closed on Thursday after a staff member who had returned from Germany tested positive for COVID-19.
Dickens Pub, a popular music venue in Calgary, also announced on social media it is closing indefinitely to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
"I'm doing this for my amazing parents who are in their 70s and the many other wonderful seniors in our community who should have lots of years ahead of them," owner Chris Hewitt wrote.
"I'm doing this for the people out there with pre-existing conditions who will have some nervous times to come. I'm doing this for the health care workers in Alberta who are going to have a lot of hard work ahead of them and perhaps this will reduce the burden slightly. I’m doing this for our staff because I don’t want them to get sick and I want them to have jobs to come back to.
"I’m doing this for all of our beloved customers because I can’t, in good conscience, provide a space that’s a virtual ticking time bomb like any gathering space is at the moment."
Mikey's on 12th, another popular music venue, said Monday they are also closing down temporarily during the pandemic.
And Outcast Brewing announced that along with some chairs being removed from the taproom, the company has launched an online store and is waiving delivery fees.
Also on Monday, the federal government announced the border will be closed non-Canadian citizens, with exceptions for family members of Canadian citizens, diplomats, air crews, and U.S. citizens, to limit the spread of COVID-19.
