Hard-hit Edmonton restaurants face new Omicron obstacles
CBC
Since Omicron began spreading, Tony Britton no longer knows how many of his restaurant employees will be available to clock in for work each day.
Labour shortages, driven by the highly contagious variant, have been exacerbated by a lack of testing in Alberta, Britton says.
"People are missing five days of work that might just have regular cold symptoms," said Britton, director of operations for Edmonton restaurants DOSC, Dorinku and Japonais.
"They might get their hands on a rapid test. They might not."
The fifth wave of the pandemic in Alberta has been a frustrating challenge for Edmonton's beleaguered restaurant industry, as an increasing number of workers are sidelined by COVID-19.
The province is now rationing PCR testing and supplies of at-home rapid test kits have been running critically low for weeks, leaving thousands of cases undocumented.
With provincial labs overwhelmed, employers are being asked to rely on the honour system when workers fall ill.
"It's such a grey area," Britton said. "There is no proof.
"We have to trust our team and hope that they are going to be honest. But when times get tough and money is tough, you never know."
Restaurants are struggling to manage staffing shortages and temper the risk of COVID spreading through back kitchens and dining rooms, Britton said.
More financial support and access to testing is needed, he said.
"We have hundreds of contacts every single day," he said. "There are no work-from-home options."
As of Thursday, Alberta had 63,000 known active cases of COVID-19 — the highest total yet — but the true number of cases is believed to be 10 times higher.
The spike in cases has Shelly Yasin bracing for more cases among her staff. She has operated a handful of Edmonton restaurants over the years, including Sahara Palace in the city's north.
