Bars brace for protest: situation desperate, support spreads too slow

On Saturday, starting at 2 p.m., bar staff are scheduled to hold a 15-minute protest and stand in closed restaurants. The campaign is organized by the Vilnius Night Alliance (VNA) and the Lithuanian Bars and Cafes Association.

Facebook’s invitation states that the rally will take place for many months without government support.

VNA President Mark Adam Harold of Delfi says bars are in dire straits because they can no longer wait.

“We hope, and we already know, that we need more attention from the government, which does not understand at all how desperate our situation is.” She is working to provide support, but may not realize that support needs to be provided sooner. We mean we can’t wait another week, two weeks, three weeks. We needed that support yesterday, ”says MA Harold.

He invites all catering establishments in Lithuania to join the campaign and ensures that permits are being negotiated with municipalities.

“We talk to the Vilnius municipality, we register all the institutions that want to participate, they tell us how many people there could be. We will pass all the information to the municipalities on Thursday so that you know who, where and how much it will be on Saturday. The Municipality of Vilnius said that everything is fine and we hope that other municipalities will say the same, ”says MA Harold.

He assures that he understands that the epidemiological situation is still not good and that it would be risky to open bars.

“There is a risk of a third wave of the virus. Basically we agree that there must be a very careful opening and that is why we say that it is better that you give us the subsidies that you promised to give, to compensate for the closings. Then we can continue standing, not act, but we will not be in debt. That would be a best practice. But if it turns out that other sectors can act and we cannot, we will definitely raise the issue of inequality ”, says the president of VNA.

Mandatory masks at the event, the organizers ask to maintain a distance of at least 2 meters between people, not to wear or consume alcoholic beverages.

“There will soon be four months in which bars, cafes, restaurants, and nightclubs cannot operate, we are not earning income, and we are maturing in ever-increasing debt on a daily basis. Operating restrictions and bans are presented to us in a matter of days, but the Government support programs are being implemented slowly. The first subsidy package is still clogged with a lot of bureaucracy and the second package has not yet been approved. In April, if we do not open by then, we will need a third subsidy package, of which the government does not even speak. We repeatedly ask the government to prepare a third support package now so that there are no painful delays later. But we do not hear the response, “the invitation reads.

In the case of bars and cafes, a large part of the cost is explained by rental costs and support for the rental of premises has been withdrawn. Bar owners are worried about having to terminate their leases any day and lose what they have been building for a long time.