Bars reminded to skip special events for Super Bowl Sunday

Feb 4, 2021 | 11:47 AM

Before COVID-19 it was one of the biggest sporting events of the year and a huge boost to business for pubs and bars. Beyond the big game, there was the attraction of prizes, food and drink specials.

Vernon Matters has learned local sports bars have received reminders from the B.C. Liquor Control Branch, ahead of Super Bowl Sunday, that they cannot promote the event, hand out prizes or sell football squares. The message is that doing any of those things constitutes holding an event, which is contrary to current public health orders.

For local sports bars like Don Cherry’s, Kal Hotel, and Rosters, the Sunday event is usually one of the biggest business days of the year.

Current restrictions mean bars and restaurants have to keep the volume low on TVs, tables must be six-feet apart and can hold a maximum of six diners—who should be from the same household.

On Monday, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry hinted restrictions on gatherings would remain, and said no one in B.C. should be planning a party for the Super Bowl at home or elsewhere.

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“If we are not able to control this and start seeing spread again, we can undo all the good work that we have done,” Henry said, noting that keeping case counts low means keeping restaurants and bars open.

The next update on the extension of the state of emergency and current public health orders is expected tomorrow, Feb. 5.

“Restaurants and bars don’t need to wait until Friday to know that on Sunday the hospitality sector should not be welcoming large numbers of people into a crowded space,” Premier John Horgan said Tuesday.

Industry organizations like the B.C. Craft Brewers Guild (BCCBG), and the B.C. Restaurant and Food Services Association (BCRFSA), hope there isn’t a penalty flag like there was on New Year’s Eve.

On that holiday, the province issued a last minute order to stop liquor sales at 8 p.m., leaving many restaurateurs with a surplus of food and liquor ordered from suppliers in advance of the big day.

Super Bowl Sunday differs in that there isn’t a holiday the following day, and it’s an afternoon event in B.C.

“The Super Bowl is not a late-night event. The game starts at 3:30 p.m. and ends at 6:30 or 7 p.m. It’s a Sunday so we expect people are going to go home afterward. TV volumes will be at low, conversational levels. It’s going to be very muted,” Ian Tostenson, the president of BCRFSA, said.

The association is encouraging people to place a take-out order and enjoy the game at home with family.

-with files from the Canadian Press

by Kevin Rothwell

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