To discourage New Year’s Eve parties, Al’s Taxi will only be making essential runs on Dec. 31

If you’re planning to ignore COVID shutdown restrictions and head to a New Year’s Eve house party, don’t call Al’s Taxi.

“We don’t think it’s the right time for people to be going to house parties and we don’t want to be a part of it,” said owner, Bill Sibeon. “We aren’t shut down. We want to take people where they’re supposed to be going—back and forth to work or if they’ve got an emergency. We are just not driving people to house parties tomorrow night.”

Restrictions under the current provincewide shutdown that came into effect on Dec. 26 prohibit indoor public events and social gatherings, except with members of the same household (the people you live with). Outdoor public events and social gatherings must comply with public health advice on physical distancing and are limited to 10 people.

“It’s the law,” notes Sibeon, adding that throughout the pandemic, his drivers have been on the roads every day, taking people where they need to go. “I think we’ve done enough and my drivers have risked enough. We don’t need to do that tomorrow night. You know it’s going to be busy, you know there’s going to be a certain number of people that are not going to pay attention to the rules and just do it.”

He acknowledges that some will choose to find their own way to a party anyhow. “On one breath, I don’t want to be the person that puts the keys in somebody’s hand to drive their car somewhere they shouldn’t, but I don’t think I want to risk my guys. We’ve done enough. It’s time for everybody just to hunker down at home.”

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