OTTAWA -- OTTAWA -- On a day when many would typically be rushing to the malls searching for the best deal this year, Boxing Day marks the beginning of a post-Christmas province-wide lockdown.

It’s a move aimed to help the fight against covid-19, but for some small business owners it’s feeling like a losing battle.

“It’s just arbitrary, it’s hard, we’re business people so we need some sort of rules to play by and we’re playing by those rules, and they they change those rules in the middle of the game, it’s difficult,” said John Borsten, Owner of Zak’s Diner.

The lockdown means malls and retail stores are closed for in-person shopping, gyms and fitness facilities have been shutdown, and bars and restaurants can only offer takeout.

“We’ll do some fittings for New Year’s Eve, that kind of thing, and we’ll do the best we can, but you’re basically just telling me I’m going to lose money for the next month or two for sure, like January is already a tough month,” said Borsten.

“ Unfortunately this will be the last straw for a lot of business owners, we know too that for all practical purposes are closed down, but are formally are still just hanging on,” said Ryan Mallough from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

And while some businesses shift their focus, others are pushing back against the Ford Government.

“To sit down with policy makers at the provincial level to come up with covid protocols that are going to be implemented in our gyms so that we can stay open through these increases in cases,” said Pete Shaw, Owner of CrossFit NCR.

Shaw is leading a province-wide push, backed by physicians, calling for gyms to stay open with public health measures in place. He calls fitness an added tool in the fight against the virus.

“We have a role that we can play, to actively help in the fight against this pandemic, by making sure that people in our community are staying healthy,” said Shaw.

“Simply put, the next 28-days are the most important 28 days of the pandemic so far,” said Dr. Abdu Sharkawy, Infectious Diseases Specialist.

But this city’s Mayor and Ottawa’s top doctor have called for measure to be reconsidered here after 14 days, and they aren’t alone.

“I do think it’s important for the province to potentially reconsider whether it makes sense to keep Ottawa locked down, I personally feel at that point it would not be justifiable,” said Dr. Sharkawy.