Jason MoorePalma12/01/2021 10:36
TW
1

My heart goes out to bar and restaurant owners. Last weekend they were told that they would have to close on Tuesday (today) because of the new Covid restrictions. Yesterday, they were told that they could open today but not tomorrow. The situation is rather summed-up by the waitress at the bar where I have coffee every morning. She has been asking me for the past week... “do you think I will be working tomorrow....” I know that the media has some inside knowledge on big new stories but this lack of information and uncertainty is not doing local businesses any favours at all.

The problem is even more pronounced for restaurant owners; how do they make their food order if they don´t really know if they are going to be open 48 hours later? I know we are living in difficult times and it is an ongoing and changing situation but the government needs to give businesses more advanced warning. You get the impression that it is all a knee-jerk reaction to the latest figures.

Also, and in defensive of restaurants I would say that they are the businesses which have tried to follow the new guidelines to the full letter of the law; with social distancing and staff on full watch at all times. The government needs to offer bars and restaurant a lifeline so that they can get through these difficult times. I would say that they are among the businesses which have been worst hit by the pandemic. They need to be given a break.