Companies will not be in a hurry to use the passport until September 13: lack of clarity Business

As of September 13, the doors of the largest stores, non-essential services, leisure establishments and restaurants will be closed for people who are sick, not vaccinated or who do not have a negative PCR test.

Although the government initially planned to close the restrictions on non-vaccinated sectors at different times, it was decided that they would take effect for all companies at the same time.

However, the government emphasizes that some of the safety requirements for surface disinfection, flow management, distance maintenance and the like will be restored by the decision of the operations manager starting Monday, and companies can avoid these. more stringent requirements using the passport of opportunity now.

15 minutes He asked the commercial representatives how they evaluated the government’s decisions and if they would start using the passport of opportunity before September 13.

The restaurant business will be waiting for it to come into force unanimously

Gediminas Balnis, vice president of the Lithuanian Hotel and Restaurant Association and director of Amber Food, said that most restaurants are likely to choose to serve customers without the possibility of a passport for the fall.

“We saw that in the first phase of the opportunity passport, one of the limited activities was restaurants and that was a mistake. More than 50 percent. customers go to the restaurant spontaneously and it was an additional obstacle when it was necessary to remove it from the internet to get healthy. When most activities are restricted as of September 13, there will be no problem as most people will carry a passport of opportunities with them. As a result, it will be easy to apply, “explained G. Balnis.

He agreed that as the number of infections increases, additional restrictions are needed, but must be provided.

“For us, the introduction of a passport of opportunity alone is close to quarantine, only it is worse because it is basically quarantine, but we cannot wait for help from the state, because there is a theoretical possibility of acting. Previously, when vaccinating About 30 percent of the population, only a small percentage of previous traffic came to restaurants with a passport for opportunities. Apparently, it was not clear how to get it, so they simply did not go, “said the businessman.

He considered that the passport of opportunity could be used now if it were introduced universally. Otherwise, he said, it would be a burden on a sector, but it would not encourage vaccination or substantially increase or decrease the number of infections.

Hairdressers: we will lose clients, some specialists will work in the “shadow”

At the time, the restrictions placed on hairdressers are dismal. Diana Bučinskienė, vice president of the Lithuanian Association of Hairdressers and Beauty Specialists, did not hide that some clients will not go to beauty salons and hairdressers, and some specialists will work “in the shadows”.

“We see that some beauty professionals do not simply write that they will accept without vaccinating. That is, if people officially announce it, they will probably accept. And those who cannot, will go to work illegally. When you work in a beauty salon, you cannot do that, especially since our association meets all the requirements. We coordinate and work during the quarantine period complying with all the requirements ”, assured the interlocutor.

He did not hide the disappointment that the information provided by the government is not entirely clear, he does not know how to verify customers’ passports.

“I have no idea how the system will work. If you need to request a document from a client, where is the data protection, why do some hairdressers have to show the document, if they want to cut their hair or get another hairdressing service?” Asked D.Bučinskienė.

She argued that for these reasons, hairdressers are unlikely to start using the passport of opportunity before September 13.

“We are in favor of vaccination so that people get vaccinated, but it is not up to us. Beauty professionals have passports of opportunity, I have them myself, so I am glad I can act. But you will not tell clients whether it is their decision to get vaccinated or not, “said D.Bučinskienė.

The hotels await a decision from the operations manager.

Hotels say it’s too early to tell if the Opportunity Passport will be approved on September 13. Ingrida Valaitienė, president of the Association of Hotels and Restaurants of Palanga, indicated that the decision of the operations manager is awaited, whose requirements will take effect on Monday.

We have to wait for the decision of the operations manager, he will list what restrictions arise and the activities will be able to choose whether to operate only from Monday with an opportunity passport, without waiting for September 13, or from September 13. We have to wait for the operations manager’s decision and see if they will be useless to us, ”commented I. Valaitienė.

According to her, the passport of opportunity is viewed positively by hotels; this measure will stop the spread of the virus. The possibility of obtaining a passport for clients, according to her, should not cause any problems.

“We would contribute to communication, our guests would be informed, they could prepare for their arrival. It would not be a hasty solution, there would be no major problems. And the vaccination rate accelerates if someone goes in the opposite direction, taking a test before arriving ”, explained the interviewee.

For supermarkets, this will mean “hundreds of thousands of costs.”

The Opportunity Passport will bring a number of changes to large supermarkets: starting September 13, they will be open only to people with an Opportunity Passport. President of the Lithuanian Real Estate Development Association Mindaugas Statulevičius 15 minutes He said the government had given a reasonable delivery time and supermarkets “will implement this requirement responsibly.”

“They will hire physical protection. This will be a significant additional cost for supermarket managers. Some supermarkets have between 15 and 18 entrances. We have calculated that an entry point per day will cost between 50 and 150 euros for supermarkets. It costs hundreds of thousands a month. In any case, it’s better than what we had, ”Statulevičius said.

According to him, it is likely that to enter the supermarket it is enough to show a passport of opportunities, but at random you will have to scan something.

“We have asked to be very clear who is responsible if it is found in a supermarket or grocery store that a person has been found with a forged or forged passport of opportunity. It is necessary to say unequivocally here that the responsibility must lie with that person ”, assured M. Statulevičius.

Where from the autumn we will not arrive without a passport of opportunities?

The government has decided that as of September 13, people without a passport will not be able to visit beauty salons, cinemas, discos, casinos, sports clubs.

Without the possibility of a passport or negative PCR test, it will be possible to make purchases only in shops whose main activity is the sale of food, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, optician, with independent entrance from the field, and if its sales area has less than 1,500 square meters . meters.

In addition to passport options, individuals will also have access to request minor repairs, visit museum exhibitions and exhibits, legal services, financial services for the payment and delivery of pensions or other social benefits, and other required mandatory insurance and financial services. . Those without a passport will be able to use public transport and shuttle services.

The restrictions will not apply to people who have been vaccinated with a full vaccination schedule and have acquired immunity, who have been diagnosed with coronavirus when confirmed by PCR, antigen tests or a serological antibody test, have had a test negative PCR in the last 48 hours and under 16 years.