Owners of several restaurants across the Okanagan have been vocal in their opposition to the province鈥檚 vaccine card, but the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association (BCRFA) made it clear there will be consequences for establishments that ignore health restrictions.

President and CEO of the BCRFA Ian Tostenson said the association supports the vaccine card system and wants members to follow the public health order so they can keep their doors open and help bring an end to the pandemic.

鈥淲e support it because, without this health order, we were really worried we were going to end up, province-wide, going backwards like what happened in 琉璃神社 (this summer),鈥� he said.

鈥淚t would鈥檝e gotten worse and we would鈥檝e potentially seen shutdowns like we had last year鈥� the vaccine card is necessary to keep businesses going and equally, as important, to keep our employees employed. It鈥檚 been brutal for them as we open and close, and open and close.鈥�

For the most part, the vaccine card rollout has gone well for many BCRFA members but the organization has received calls about a handful of Okanagan restaurants that won鈥檛 be following the order to check for vaccination status for dine-in customers.

琉璃神社鈥檚 Renegade Kitchen & Craft Bar and Ricco Bambino, and Penticton鈥檚 Bad Tattoo Brewing are just some of the establishments that have been very vocal from the beginning that they stand against the vaccine card and that they won鈥檛 be checking vaccination status.

Renegade said in social media posts they鈥檙e 鈥渘ot in the business of asking for or discussing your private health info.鈥�

Tostenson said that while business owners are free to choose whether to implement or not implement the vaccine card at their restaurant, they need to be aware of the consequences of those actions.

鈥淚f they continue to not follow the provincial order, eventually, the government鈥檚 going to catch up with them,鈥� he said.

鈥淭hey鈥檒l face a penalty and/or they will face closure. We at the BCRFA support that because we鈥檙e trying to do something here for the health of British Columbia. We鈥檙e not trying to make people mad or isolate them but at the same time, 99 per cent of businesses in B.C. are trying in earnest to do what they think is going to help B.C.鈥�

Tostenson added the BCRFA supports all restaurants but when some of them are breaking provincial laws, it鈥檚 difficult to defend them.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 like it either. No restaurant in B.C. wants to ask for proof of vaccination鈥� but the tradeoff to getting restaurants in 琉璃神社 back to operating hours was this. Dr. Henry said we鈥檒l bring in the vaccine cards so you can operate as normal, which is great,鈥� he said.

He said the restaurants who refuse to operate under the vaccination program may have supporters, but they are a minority and at the end of the day, they鈥檒l have to deal with their reputation for not following public health orders, losing out on more business in the long run.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not going to end well. They will be eventually closed or fined. Your reputation as a business that defied protocols, I鈥檓 not so sure that reputation long-term is going to serve you well,鈥� he said.

READ MORE: B.C. COVID-19 infections creeping up, 706 more Thursday

twila.amato@blackpress.ca
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