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According to data from the National Center for Public Health, 34 service companies in Klaipėda, 24 in Palanga and 14 in Neringa have already announced that they work only with opportunity passports.
Caterers serving customers with only passports of opportunity cannot limit the number of people at tables, provide self-service meals, and only wear face masks is recommended.
If visitors without the possibility of a passport are accepted, no more than 2 people are allowed at the table indoors, no more than 5 outdoors (except for family members and members of a household). A distance of 2 meters must also be respected.
The government has already decided that as of September 13, customers will only be able to visit indoor cafes with passports of opportunity.
Cafe owners interviewed by Western Express, who decided not to wait for mid-September, are happy with their decision, but have received a flood of criticism and outrage from people who do not support such an order.
Threats received
Café Agluona, located in Klaipėda district, Agluonėnai, located in Klaipėda district, Agluona, was one of the first to officially announce the decision to work only with passport customers after August 16. Immediately afterwards, the cafe received a flood of negative comments on social media.
Last week, Petrė Račkauskienė, the owner of Agluona, opened that she had received not only many negative comments, but also threatening calls. However, the businesswoman did not escape the pressure and does not regret her decision. True, he admits that negative reactions and excessive attention are tiring.
“We are very good today, we are happy, there are very positive things that are very big. We get a lot of support, good people. There were many guests on Saturday, we were very disappointed with the provocation, ”said Fr. Račkauskienė. But she says the pressure was not easy to bear.
“Some people were, perhaps even hired, photographed, provoked, made various comments, but we did not get involved,” says P. Račkauskienė about the events of the last few days. She suspects that Agluona’s example may have been deliberately sought to show that it is not good for companies to follow order and law.
But failed. “It’s really easier, the ‘weaker’ people choose,” says P. Račkauskienė.
Increase the tension
It is interesting that Petras Gražulis, a member of the elected Seimas in the Klaipėda district, is related to the history of Agluona.
The Seimas member himself does not see the connections between what is happening in Agluona and his activities.
“I am neither a ‘waxer’ nor an ‘anti-waxer’, but I think the cafeteria has lost some of its customers because of that decision,” says P. Gražulis. Not forgetting to add that he seems to know that the owners of Agluona are conservative.
The Seimas member considers that there is still the possibility that the decision already adopted on September 13 to widely apply the passport of opportunities using various services will be reversed. This topic should also be relevant at the rally organized in Vilnius on September 10.
Entrepreneurs simply suspect that they are now looking for negative examples that cafes that operate only on passports of opportunity will change their decision or close. This could then be used as an additional argument in an attempt to oppose the Government and the decisions already taken.
The staff is happy too
Daina Šatkienė, director of the Lijo cafe in Gargždai, is also satisfied with the decision to start working with the passport of opportunity without waiting for September 13.
“We have a lot of banquets, and right now, when we speak, a group of 16 people are having lunch,” D. Šatkienė told the Western Express. According to her, if all people were admitted, such a banquet would not be possible.
“Of course, there was another angry retort, from people who came out, but these are just a few isolated cases out of a hundred,” says D. Šatkienė.
According to her, although some clients are lost, working with a passport of opportunities is more fun because there is no need for masks. Not only the visitors, but also the staff enjoy this.
“It is more welcoming, people feel freer, that decision is really better”, D.Šatkienė does not doubt his choice.
He is also happy for the public awareness, because he saw the line of those who wanted to get vaccinated all day during Gargždai’s birthday party at the weekend.
“Perhaps the state’s tactics will be confirmed,” hopes D. Šatkienė.
It is true that the Western Lithuania region still lags behind the Lithuanian average in terms of immunization level, but businessmen believe that the number of vaccinated people will increase rapidly. It is also important that those who are just getting vaccinated can already have a passport of opportunity in mid-September.
Consult by phone
“People are interested, they ask, they even phone in advance, they explain the situation, because there are several cases in which they are already vaccinated, but they still do not have a valid passport,” said Gediminas Gudavičius, head of Meridiano. he told the Western Express.
According to him, more work has really emerged, because it is necessary to review opportunity passports, European certificates, tests, and there are more documents that confirm that a person has immunity. Therefore, you have to look at everything responsibly, because if you make a mistake, the company faces a fine that can reach 6 thousand. euros.
Meridian uses electronic means to scan your passport, reducing the likelihood of errors or tampering.
Meridian’s decision to work with the passport of opportunity was also motivated by the need to organize charter banquets.
“Without registration, we would not have been able to accept so many people,” says G. Gaviavičius. He agrees that some traffic is declining, but says he hasn’t actually received a negative wave of outrage or comments.
Does not understand the outrage
Daiva Griciūnienė, the owner of the Klaipėda restaurant Juodasis vilkas, who made the decision to work with all customers during the transition period, says that due to the pandemic situation, the restaurant works only part-shift and is fully closed on Mondays and Tuesday.
It also completely closed its second restaurant in the Klaipeda district, Karklė, by the sea.
“However, I don’t panic at all, I follow the situation and wait for what will happen,” says D. Griciūnienė. According to her, although it is not required by the restaurant, people still come and show passports for opportunities.
“There is an opinion that almost all visitors have passports and anti-waxers do not visit restaurants,” says D.Griciūnienė. She says that if any antiviral came along, she would definitely take it, plant it even on a separate table.
“The weather is still warm, a lot of people are sitting outside,” says D. Griciūnienė.
Visitors are subject to more lenient restrictions outdoors than indoors. Up to 5 people can sit at an outdoor table without a passport.
“Yes, the banquets have been canceled,” says the owner of “Black Wolf” the loss of business. She quietly awaits September 13 and is ready to work with passports of opportunity.
“In general, business losses are very high, I don’t even want to talk about it,” says D. Griciūnienė.
A bigger problem for the catering business is the pandemic, which has been happening for the second year in a row, and business owners and owners are tired of endless constraints and uncertainty about the future.
Nothing discriminates
Although “Black Wolf” does not discriminate against any visitor and accepts all, D.Griciūnienė finds it strange that young people in their thirties who are potential visitors to cafes are not vaccinated.
“The activating movement is a movement of young people and especially those who do not want to work”, – categorical D.Griciūnienė.
She believes that that way people discover one more excuse for not doing anything.
Opportunity passports have
Ramūnas Pocevičius, the owner of the “Senosios Hansas” café, says that the café in Klaipėda will only work with passports of opportunity from next week.
“We have an object in Palanga, where concerts are held, there we are already working with opportunity passports, people have passports, many people have them,” says R. Pocevičius.
According to him, September 1 is approaching, the cafes expect an influx, so they do not want restrictions to plant only two people at the table.
“We are optimistic about the future,” R. Pocevičius told the Western Express.
Expectations are different
However, not all entrepreneurs are so optimistic. While it is clear that most entrepreneurs, regardless of how they chose to work during the transition period until September 13, have already agreed that they will have to work with passports of opportunity.
Now they are linking their business prospects to the proportion of people who will be vaccinated, will receive opportunity passports and will be able to visit cafes freely.
In either case, pandemic restrictions will affect the business. Therefore, the question remains whether the losses will be made up.
Entrepreneurs interviewed by Western Express expressed the assumption that perhaps the government was trying to pull off some kind of stunt. By allowing you to work for a company with passports of opportunity, you are trying to shed the burden of making up for business losses.
Some seaside catering owners have already managed to feel the benefits of the pandemic. This is especially true on the resort shoreline, where off-season visitors are already declining significantly, so making a profit and not working was even more profitable than working in winter.
Interfere with antivirals
Entrepreneurs did not expect to face another problem. It is an attack of antivaxaxis and negative reactions to his decision to work with passports of opportunity. Some solve the problem simply by not making it public and working quietly, thus not directing the fire at themselves.
Others found their own solutions. One of them is when the possibility of leaving comments after posts on social networks is eliminated.
“If an antivax comes to the cafe and cannot eat, he just comes out with a disgruntled face and it is very difficult to control the wave of mud that drips on social media,” said a Western Express interlocutor.
