No Green for Windsor Bar Owners on St. Patricks Day

WINDSOR — There's no green for Windsor bar and restaurant owners  for St. Patrick's day celebrations.

In previous years, O'Maggio's Kildare House on Wyandotte St. in Old Walkerville was packed with partiers, but on Tuesday, the bar is closed and the music is silenced after the province declared a state of emergency due to fears over the coronavirus.

As a result of the declaration, bars and restaurants must be closed and shift to take-out or delivery.

Owner Vito Maggio admits today is tough on business but he recognizes that safety for his staff and customers comes first.

Maggio is encouraging people, if they can, to order take-out. 

"I'm going to try to come up with a plan where I'm still open, obviously we are doing take-outs and all that, I'm allowed to do that, caterings," he says. "We are just getting into it today but in the next few days, I will figure out what we are going to be doing here."

He says today is normally one of the busiest days of the year. 

"St. Patty's Day is a big celebration so obviously we do carry a lot of food, we will have to figure out what we are going to do with it, hopefully some of it can go back."

Maggio, who also owns Vito's Pizzeria,  employs 75 to 80 people.