"No patios, no problem": Alberta gets creative amidst COVID-19 restrictions

Alberta patios may be closed, but that’s not stopping people from enjoying their meals outdoors.

As part of their COVID-19 response, the Alberta government announced that all restaurants must close for in-person dining, including patios, as of 11:59 pm on May 9.

Twitter user @lane2u snapped a photo of two Albertans sharing a meal outside an Edo Japan over the weekend in Calgary, and instead of sitting on a patio, the pair were dining in a truck bed.

No patio..No problem 🤣🤣#COVID19AB #yyc pic.twitter.com/vkSihJC0Sc

— Lane (@lane2u) May 16, 2021

“No patio..No problem,” reads the caption. The couple seems to have thought of everything, and they’re fully prepared for the meal with a table, chairs, and even a step stool to help them climb up to their makeshift “patio.”

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Twitter users responded to the photo with comments like “Love it. Fine dining at its best!”, “Modern problems require modern solutions.”, “Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.,” and “BYOP” – which we can only assume stands for “bring your own patio.”

Other Albertans seemed interested in trying out the idea for themselves or becoming friends with the pair.

Yup, we are putting lawn chairs in the trunk today.

— Laurie Keindel (@LKeindel) May 16, 2021

I’d totally do this if I had a truck

— Steve the mediocre (@SteveThePylon) May 17, 2021

I wanna go camping with that woman. You know she has EVERYTHING

— Melody Taitinger (@MelodyTaitinger) May 17, 2021

I love this. 🥺 the step stool, they thought of everything.

— Bri Cook 🌸 (@Bri_Cook) May 17, 2021

This is actually brilliant. We love burgers from The Burger Joint, but they don’t travel well for takeout. This would let us have a picnic in the parking lot while the fries are still hot.

— Momofthehour 🌈 (@TheMomoftheHour) May 17, 2021

Rare that I feel a warm fuzzy for truck owners but I love this.

— Laurie Stretch (@LStretch) May 17, 2021

Alberta introduced updated public health measures earlier in May, which included closing restaurant patios.

Effective May 9, all in-person dining at restaurants, bars, cafes, and pubs, including outdoor patios, is prohibited across the province for a minimum of three weeks. Dining establishments can remain open for takeout and delivery during this time.

Premier Jason Kenney said that these enhanced public health measures were put in place to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus.