Scotland Yard Pub would typically be crawling with hundreds of people during St. Patrick's Day weekend.
But, with the parade cancelled and health officials recommending social distancing to prevent the spread of the deadly COVID-19, the downtown bar on Saturday was "absolutely dead," bartender and server Aaron Carey said.
"It'd be packed to the wall," Carey said.
Bars and restaurants are among the industries that have been affected by the novel coronavirus outbreak. Hundreds of tourist attractions, events, schools, and other businesses have either cancelled or suspended operations to mitigate the spread of the disease.
[FULL COVERAGE: Click here to see more of our coverage on the COVID-19 pandemic]
Ontario public health officials have recommended the immediate suspension of all large events and public gatherings of over 250 people due to COVID-19.
In a memo to be issued on Friday, Dr. David Williams said organizers of smaller gatherings should consult with their local public health unit.
Carey said the uncertainty of when will everything goes back to normal is worrying.
"Nobody knows exactly what's going to happen," he said. "This meant to be one of the busiest days of the year for us."
Employment lawyer Daniel Lublin said employers have been "spooked" by the recent developments in the past few days.
He said many have been considering laying off some of their employees or potentially reducing work hours to get through this period.
Lublin said small businesses like restaurants, bars, and places where people gather to spend money would feel the worst effects of the new restrictions on public gathering.
"Those businesses or smaller businesses are going to have a harder time surviving," he said. "Those are the types of companies that are going to, unfortunately, have to close their doors."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday the federal government is preparing fiscal stimulus package in the coming days to help Canadians and businesses hit hardest by the pandemic.
"We do not want any Canadian to have to worry about whether or not they're going to be able to pay their rent, whether or not they're going to be able to buy groceries, or care for their kids or elderly family members," Trudeau said
"We need to make sure that Canadians have the options and the ability to follow the best public health advice and keep themselves safe."
[Click here to see a list of what's closed and cancelled due to COVID-19]
At the Steam Whistle Tap Room and Biergarten, it has reduced capacity to 50 per cent to accommodate the advice from public health.
"We're just lowering our capacity numbers throughout the day to help stay on top of everything," Steam Whistle manager Meghan Neath said, adding that a party with about 1,000 people was cancelled earlier in the day.
She said they now only allow six to eight people per table in their communal seating instead of the usual 10 to 12 people.
"We want to give hopes, though, for everyone to come in and still have a good time," Neath said.
She said they have also implemented several enhanced measures to make sure the safety of staff and customers.
On Saturday, the total number of COVID-19 cases in the province rose to 103, with 24 new positive cases.
