OTTAWA -- The rising number of COVID-19 cases in Ottawa has forced Ottawa's only brewery tour service to hit the brakes on tours of microbreweries across the capital region.
Brew Donkey says it will stop in-person tour operations for the next three weeks due to the COVID-19 situation in Ottawa. The closure will affect tour tickets booked until Oct. 25.
Brew Donkey was forced to stop operations in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions put in place by the federal and Ontario governments. It resumed tours on July 24 with new policies in place.
"Having to close your business temporarily is a tough decision to make. To have to make it twice in two years is even harder," said Brad Campeau, owner/operator of Brew Donkey.
"With the new restrictions, through, we can't in good conscience run our tours at the time."
The COVID-19 protocols at Brew Donkey included back to front boarding of the bus, two metres between bubbles and guests wearing masks while on buses at all times.
Brew Donkey says public health guidance to limit contacts to your households only means the tour experience would require the company to allow guests to join against health officials advice. The company notes its tours are social experiences, and groups often come together to explore with social bubbles, regularly made up of multiple households.
Brew Donkey will reassess the guidelines in three weeks and decide whether to resume tours.
