Toronto neighbourhood is going dark for the next month in support of lockdown efforts

If you were hoping to catch some Christmas lights at the Distillery District over the holidays, you are out of luck.

In an announcement this morning, the Distillery District said that they will be turning off their lights today in support of the provincial government's province-wide lockdown.

In efforts to support the lockdown set out by our provincial government, #DistilleryTO will be turning off the lights of the grand Christmas Tree & canopy lights today (December 24th, 2020) at 3:00PM. The lights will remain off until the end of the lockdown (📸: @eleonorastyle_) pic.twitter.com/WLaoZ3zxqJ

— Distillery District (@DistilleryTO) December 24, 2020

Although the annual Distillery District Christmas Market was cancelled earlier this year, the neighbourhood remained lit up with decorations. Their grand Christmas Tree and canopy lights attracted many for photo taking sessions and evening strolls. 

Back in November, the neighbourhood announced that they will require people to wear masks even in their outdoor spaces. This rule was enforced as an extra precaution, although it did not apply to guests who were seated while eating or drinking.

The new lockdown, which will come into effect on December 26, comes after the daily cases of COVID-19 have continued to rise across the province.

Under the new restrictions, all indoor organized public events and social gatherings will be banned, though individuals living alone can have contact with one other household. In-person shopping in most retail settings has also been prohibited. 

blows my mind that people are still strolling around toronto. the distillery district looks PACKED yuck enjoy covid for christmas for u and ur family 🎄😌

— d (@2ellza) December 24, 2020

While the government has not banned Christmas lights, the Distillery District has taken on the initiative themselves. They say the Christmas Tree and canopy lights will remain off until the end of lockdown, which is expected to be on January 23.