Penticton business owner Nikolas Dos Santos isn’t taking any chances with the health of his staff this weekend.

Dos Santos says he met with his employees and came to a decision to close his outdoor seating at Tacos Del Norte on Backstreet Boulevard as a safety precaution against COVID-19, opening for takeout only.

“We decided not to open the patio because we’re seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases. Safety of my staff’s health is more important at this point,” he said today, July 29.

Dos Santos says the shop will maintain the same hours – open from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and again from 4:00 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The restaurant will also be closed through this holiday weekend, though, from Saturday through Monday.

“That’s when we might see a lot of tourists, and every single weekend that’s when we see an influx of cases going up in Penticton. We’re usually closed Saturday and Sunday, anyway, but we decided to close Monday just as a precaution,” he says. “It’s to keep my staff and my customers safe. If you’ve been to my shop, you’ll know I have limited floor space."

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