He addressed the Government for the opening of bars: he offers a bubble of 5 friends and a place to visit per night

“The proposal is popular with politicians seeking a simple solution that would seem like a logical compromise to the public, even if there is no scientific evidence that the measure is effective. The offer is also popular with lobbyists representing companies whose majority of business closes before 10pm, so they run little risk of being hurt by time constraints. They like to pretend to represent the “industry”, although they do not speak for some companies that operate later in the evening.

Politicians like to say that “companies support the proposal to limit working hours”, although he talks much less with representatives of the small subsector and sometimes does not even invite them to meetings. We noticed this trend last year, and now we see that the new government is infected at the same time, “the alliance speech reads.

In a comment, Vilnius Night Alliance Chairman Mark Adam Harold said that politicians’ proposals based on the argument “to do it abroad” sound tragic, because in Lithuania as in other countries even the third wave of the virus arrived. . when all the catering establishments were completely closed.

Abroad, analyzes have shown that the virus spreads through people visiting uncontrolled private places rather than licensed establishments. There have also been court rulings abroad stating that there is no legal basis to discriminate against night businesses, as no country has been shown to reduce the spread of the virus. By the way, working hours are also restricted “abroad”, because there are similar organizations representing “restaurant chains” abroad, successfully lobbying to close all catering establishments at 10 pm, it is In other words, not touching restaurants, but pretending that only bars and nightclubs are to blame for spreading the virus.

After many months of statistical analysis that has clearly shown that COVID-19 is spreading in the workplace and at home, it is elementary nonsense to believe that the virus “works” clockwise or that somehow it mysteriously intensifies at night but does not touch the restaurants until 10. pm And from the owners of the big chain restaurants we hear again the same inefficient and unfounded idea as last year: “close the others, but not us! ” That is the “compromise” they offer.

According to the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, the decision to forcibly close a business sector must be proportionate, logical, necessary and based on clear evidence. Not only has the measure to limit working time not been scientifically proven to be effective, but it also applies only to a very small part of society. At night, so few people visit catering establishments that we simply do not understand how this measure can be considered logical, necessary and meaningful.

We already did a national experiment: we closed all bars and clubs last year and we didn’t see any effect, the second wave of the virus still came. You ask why? Probably due to the insignificant decrease in the number of contacts due to the closure of these businesses. The same phenomenon has been found “abroad”.

If our politicians are already serious about discussing foreign practices, we would first like to remind you that there are adequate compensation schemes for companies closed abroad. Even in neighboring Latvia, catering establishments receive a substantial monthly compensation guaranteed until May. Meanwhile, many companies in Lithuania are still waiting for the first support package, and the promised second was enough until the end of March. Most foreign countries also have rent compensation mechanisms, such as the one suspended in Lithuania.

We hear that the responsible committee will find the necessary amount of money “if necessary”, but we did not hear the committee members realize that it was needed yesterday. In any case, it is clear to everyone that it is necessary to find a way to open safely as soon as possible. “The situation is not improving and we simply cannot wait for everyone to receive the second dose of vaccines, especially if the support programs remain unexploited,” the alliance said in a comment.

Suggestions made

Vilnius Night Alliance proposes to allow companies to operate without restrictions on working hours, to implement scientifically proven measures to prevent the spread of the virus, which work just as effectively before and after midnight.

“These include certificates of test results, antiviral masks and spray coatings on surfaces, antiviral air filters, restrictions on the number of people, distances between tables, drinking only while seated, and active monitoring by law enforcement personnel. municipal. We also suggest applying very logical and easy-to-understand recommendations, such as choosing a bubble of 5 friends and visiting it with only one place per night. We will never reduce risk to zero, but we can manage risk so people can choose safer and more controlled places to meet friends.

As always, we are very open to cooperation. We have sent all the necessary information to the Government a long time ago. Obviously, people no longer have the patience to follow irrational and illogical rules. Finally, it is time to find the courage to implement measures that really work, not to talk about inefficient and incorrect time constraints, ”says Mark Adam Harold, President of the Vilnius Night Alliance.