Use ’em or lose ’em — that’s the message from Niagara’s chambers of commerce, after a survey showed more than half of Canada’s restaurants could go out of business by November.

The problem is the physical distancing required to keep patrons safe during COVID-19, according to a Statistics Canada survey.

Forced to work at reduced capacity to provide more space for patrons, 60 per cent of accommodation and food services either haven’t reopened and probably won’t or have reopened but say they can hang on only another 90 days.

“Shocking, but not surprising,” said Hugo Chesshire, director of policy and government relations for the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce.