The “pain of everyone” is behind the closure of a longtime Vernon establishment.
The sign on the marquee at Squires Four Pub off Highway 97 read CLOSED to patrons Wednesday, Oct. 27, and a sign tacked on the front door reads, “Pub shut down due to unprecedented reasons.”
“It’s simple, it’s the pain of everyone,” said the pub’s business owner, who declined to give his name, by phone Wednesday morning.
“It’s the (COVID-19 vaccine) passports. We’ve received 50 per cent false (QR) codes. People are getting angrier. Sales are low. There is no government support. It makes no sense to stay in operation.”
Full vaccination is a government requirement to access some events, services and businesses in B.C. until at least Jan. 31, 2022. Pubs, bars, and lounges that offer indoor and patio dining, as Squires Four does, are required to ask for proof of full vaccination from patrons.
Squires Four Cold Beer and Wine store remains operational as it’s a business that does not require proof of vaccination to be shown.
The business owner, who said he disagrees with having to ask for passports, said he gave his staff two weeks notice, and Wednesday, Oct. 27, was the first day of closure.
“I even had some clients crying when I told them the news,” he said. “They said, ‘We finally found a place we’re comfortable with, and now you’re shutting down.’”
Asked if the closure was temporary or permanent, the owner said, “We’re closed until smarter action is taken.
“Others are suffering. People are lying and falsifying documents. The rules make no sense.”
Squires Four Pub has been serving Vernon and the North Okanagan since opening 35 years ago in 1986.
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