'How are we going to pay our bills?' B.C. restrictions hitting local gyms and bars hard

A day after COVID-19 restrictions took effect on Monday, the province announced another round of measures on Tuesday in an effort to slow down the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

The new restrictions, which include the closure of bars and nightclubs, will take effect on Thursday.

"It’s pretty heartbreaking," said Quincy Leachman, general manager of the Duke Saloon in Victoria.

The Duke Saloon reopened its doors in September. Recently it brought back live music and has been playing by the rules laid out by the province.

But now that their doors are closing once again, frustration is running high.

"A lot of the time we are the people who get targeted immediately," said Leachmen. "As soon as there needs to be a gesture to show that they are doing something to make a change."

Gyms, fitness studios and dance studios will also be shutdown until late January.

"It has been a very intense rollercoaster ride," said Katie Thacker, co-owner of the Third Space Movement gym in Victoria. "That’s the best way to explain it."

Third Space Movement opened up two weeks before COVID-19 hit and was almost immediately shutdown for two-and-a-half months.