Here’s how to help Vancouver’s local food and beverage businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While many local food and beverage businesses in Vancouver have been sending out messages to customers assuring them they are still open, one downtown establishment has made the difficult decision to close up shop due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

Giardino Restaurant, located at 1328 Hornby Street, will be temporarily closed starting Monday, March 16.

Owner Umberto Menghi shared the news and assured customers that his team will be “keeping an eye on this situation” in hopes to reopen soon.

Giardino is among the first restaurants locally to completely close in Vancouver, following in the footsteps of the American restaurant group, the Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), which halted the operations of all 19 restaurants in its portfolio yesterday, most of which are located in New York City.

Here’s the full message from Giardino’s owner.

A message from Umberto: Dear Guests, Just like you, we have been monitoring the evolution and impact of COVID-19 worldwide. To that end, I have decided to temporarily close Giardino to protect the health and safety of our clients and our staff as of this Monday, March 16th, 2020. We will be keeping an eye on this situation and will hopefully reopen very soon. Thank you for your understanding.

With coronavirus on the rise, the BC Ministry of Health is reminding individuals who attend events and large gatherings to monitor their health for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. And if you’re not feeling well, they recommend staying home at this time. Also, due to unexpected cancellations, please check the event you plan to attend is still taking place. Keep up with COVID-19 news here.