Many restaurant owners will be reopening their doors “reluctantly” on May 10 because they know that the imposed 5pm closing time means they will not earn enough to cover the costs.
“Will I open on May 10? I have no choice. Does it make sense? Definitely not,” Kevin Attard, a director of Fresco’s cafe and restaurant and Giorgio’s cafe, both in Sliema, said.
Restaurants were ordered to close in the beginning of March when the number of COVID-19 cases surged. On Sunday, Prime Minister Robert Abela said that, as restrictions are eased, restaurants and snack bars will be allowed to reopen on May 10 but they have to close by 5pm.
Retail businesses want the government to issue vouchers that can be spent in their shops before it distributes those that apply to hotels and restaurants.
“They cannot wait any longer. Retail outlets need strong consumption to make up the losses they have suffered over the last six weeks,” the CEO of the Malta Chamber of SMEs, Abigail Mamo, said.
Non-essential shops and services, such as hairdressers, beauty shops, clothes shops and florists, are being allowed to reopen on Monday as pandemic restrictions are cautiously eased on the island.
“Businesses have been gearing up and preparing for weeks to reopen and they need the vouchers to help boost sales,” Mamo told Times of Malta.
Malta aims to issue the second round of COVID-19 vouchers within weeks of restaurants and cafes reopening their doors, the government has told the catering industry.
The detail of the island’s roadmap for easing restrictions emerged in a meeting between the Association of Catering Establishments (ACE) and government representatives.
Matthew Pace, spokesperson for ACE, said the organisation was told that although the cash vouchers might not be available on restaurants’ first day back, the government “hopes” to issue them “within weeks”.
Malta’s proposed timetable does not set out a date for the opening of cafes and restaurants but
“This does not mean that people will be able to flout mitigation measures. People will need to continue to follow such regulations – the wearing of masks, maintaining adequate distances, and hygiene measures – now more than ever,” he said, adding that he understood the concern of sportspeople and restaurant owners.
It is yet unclear when restaurant owners will be allowed to start hosting patrons again, however, Abela said the government’s support will remain for as long as needed.
Almost one in every five restaurants have had to shut down throughout the past year, the Association of Catering Establishments said on Friday.
Throughout the past year, almost one in every five restaurants have had to shut down, the Association of Catering Establishments said on Friday, amid increasing pressure on the government to announce a plan for the reopening of eateries.
Data compiled by ACE found that between March 2020 and March 2010, some 19 per cent of establishments had closed down, on top of another 12 per cent of restaurant owners who had put their operation up for sale or rent.
Restaurants have been closed since last March, following a spike in COVID cases that saw catering establishments shut their doors to patrons for the second time throughout the pandemic.