N.L. tourism operators feel cautious relief as end of COVID restrictions draw near – CBC
‘There was a feeling of optimism, but also it came as a surprise,’ says chair of Hospitality N.L.
Feb 22, 2022
Tourism and hospitality business owners are looking ahead to what may be the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, as two years of public health restrictions begin to lift.
Newfoundland and Labrador is inching toward completely dropping COVID-19 measures by mid-March, following the lead of other provinces across Canada — despite new infections and deaths related to the virus continuing to add up.
The announcement came less than a week ago, when Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said the province’s high vaccination rates, availability of therapeutic medications and a less severe strain of the virus stacked up to form her decision: to gradually wind down pandemic mandates each Monday leading up to the March 14 end date.
The tourism and hospitality industry has been hard hit over the last two years under the cloud of the global pandemic. Travel restrictions to N.L. kept mainland and international travellers mostly at bay in the early going, slashing revenue streams to razor-thin margins for operators who desperately tried to weather the storm.
