Halton Region Public Health (HRPH) issued new directives for the region’s restaurants as the province expands both indoor and outdoor dining options. The new directives have been created due to the outbreaks and increased community transmission of COVID-19 Variants of Concern (VOC). VOCs have shown to have higher transmission rates and potentially result in higher likelihood of serious illness and death.
Diners will be required to provide the restaurant with the following information prior to eating indoors or outdoors. The information is being gathered in order to aid in contact tracing should there been a confirmed COVID-19 case.
- First and last name
- Telephone number and municipality of residence, and if possible email or mailing address
- Attendance details including: date, arrival time, table number/location, and departure time
Diners will be asked to verbally attest to the following:
- At a table with their own household members, with or without one other person who lives alone or with a caregiver
- At a table only with one other household, if they live alone
- At a table with another household, if they are a caregiver (essential for maintaining mental or physical health) for someone in that household.
Restaurants have been directed not to seat or permit any person to enter an indoor or outdoor eating or drinking area unless the patron provides all the information requested.
The information must be recorded and maintained so that owners, operators, and other persons responsible for an establishment are able to provide the information by email or fax to HRPH within two hours of the HRPH’s request.
All records must be retained for a period of at least one month, and they must be stored and then destroyed in manner that preserves the privacy of patrons.