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This week, the Lithuanian Bars and Cafes Association (LBKA) together with the Vilnius Night Alliance presented the government with a series of proposals on how nightlife institutions could once again operate in the country.
Even during the off-season, companies request that they be allowed to work at least outdoors: on terraces, outdoor cafes, patios. It is also requested to allow the sale of alcohol to take away or to allow the delivery of alcoholic beverages at home.
Offers to limit customer flows, vaccinate employees
Entrepreneurs propose allowing catering establishments to restrict customer flows, create social bubble visitors in establishments, and vaccinate bar and cafeteria workers.
Representatives of bars and coffee shops say they are convinced that the number of Covid-19 cases could begin to operate in the field when 200 cases reach 100,000. population in 14 days.
However, the government that approved the quarantine plan did not listen to the businessmen’s requests. It is currently estimated that bars and cafes will be able to start operating outdoors in scenario B, when the incidence of Covid-19 drops to 50-100 cases per 100,000. population, and the number of positive tests shall not exceed 4%.
At that time, bars and cafes will be able to fully resume operations in less than 25 cases.
Scandalous requirements are scandalous
Bars and cafes do not have empty hopes: entrepreneurs do not believe that they will start their business before the end of spring. Entrepreneurs fear that state support will not be enough for them during this period, therefore, if the morbidity rates do not reach 200 cases on April 1, 100 thousand. population within 14 days, request the creation of a third business support package.
“We suspect that as of April 1 we will not be allowed to work yet, so we say right away: think about the third aid package.” <...>
We imagine that we will not be able to work due to illness and April. And then they will still have to fall. Not yet in April, but maybe late April, in May. Nightclubs, in general, we suspect will be very limited, perhaps only in the fall. [veiks]”, – Raimondas Pranka, the director of LBKA, spoke to tv3.lt.
Entrepreneurs who have not received government support say the requirements are too stringent. R. Pranka believes that already after the first quarantine, the bars and cafes proved that they can work safely.
“It just came to our attention then. As the Minister promised (Minister of Economy and Innovation Aušrinė Armonaitė – Aut. Past.), will review weekly [ribojimus], now we will wait every week, let’s see. And we can get angry only when we are not allowed to work, in which case we will demand compensation, ”said the businessman.
Jaučiasi demonizuojami
At the end of January, the second support package for companies affected by Covid-19 was launched. The total amount of state aid is 180 million. euros. However, the representatives of bars and cafes are not satisfied that this time, unlike last year, the support was merged into one and was not divided separately into subsidies and rental of premises.
“A particularly painful issue for rent is. And now there is none [kompensacijos]. Now promise subsidies and, through them, cover what you want: rent, etc. We think there are two different things here. The grant is for when you can’t do your business. And the rent subsidy is for you to survive. And they are merging into one, which is wrong, “said R. Pranka.
In this place, as last year, businessmen are waiting for the help of the Vilnius City Council to offer discounts for rented premises.
“The municipality could give some kind of discount, where it rents its premises. After the first quarantine, money was allocated where some kind of support could be obtained. Whoever got it, took advantage. But few received from the bars, since most received cultural spaces.
Which is good too, but we have a hard time getting there. It is difficult for anyone to call us cultural places. Night bars, discos, everyone imagines that we only drink alcohol, and what events, artists, DJs, concerts, etc. they are carried out in parallel, everyone is forgotten ”, said the businessman.
Here he also adds that he feels bars and cafes are unnecessarily demonized as unsafe places and spread the coronavirus.
“Besides, we are always demonized. There is no evidence that we had many diseases, foci. And yet we are interfering with the last so that only the last of us can work, ”said R. Pranka angrily.
LBKA does not have exact data on how many bars and cafes have been forced to close forever. However, he says currently about 60 percent. Vilnius bars and cafes interrupted their activities.
They will not be able to raise prices because they will have to attract customers
Another worrying financial issue for employers is downtime, the benefits of which do not cover employee wages. In addition, to receive downtime allowances, some entrepreneurs are forced to borrow.
“It just came to our attention then. To cover the salary, but still the ceiling is set, 963 euros, if I’m not mistaken. People who receive a salary of € 1,000 will continue to receive less than usual.
Also, now that we get paid for January downtime, we have to pay wages. Where do we pay if we don’t do business? We have to borrow money from a friend, pay, and wait for us to send downtime. And those downtimes will still be less than what a person would actually get. It is silly here that we are angry, ”said R. Pranka.
Do the economic problems of bars and cafes mean that to make up for their losses they will be forced to raise prices in the summer? R. Pranka doubts. According to him, entrepreneurs will not have the luxury of raising prices because they will have to attract customers.
“It just came to our knowledge then. If we raise prices, we will lose customers. In addition, those customers will have to be returned, because people are afraid to go to bars and get scared,” said the head of LBKA.
Vilnius will continue what started during the first quarantine
Although the Government did not take into account the requests of the representatives of bars and cafes, the Mayor of Vilnius Remigijus Šimašius does not consider them unfeasible. Rather, it suggests what other fuses could be used to keep companies current.
“Another proposal that I think is the most promising, because there will still be a time when some people will be vaccinated, vaccinated or acquire immunity in another way, and others not, is a certain vaccine or covid possession of a passport. If you have already been vaccinated or vaccinated, you can do something about it. It seems to me that we have to work with those tools, ”suggested R. Šimašius to tv3.lt.
It is true that the mayor of the capital admits that bars and cafes should not be a priority for the relaxation of the quarantine, but it is necessary to prepare for their opening.
“It is important not only to prepare here, how not to enter that wave of disease, but, if you are already in it, to prepare for how to get out of it. It is obvious that the proposals of the alliance are going to be considered in many places and I believe you have to pay attention to them ”, commented R. Šimašius.
During the first quarantine, Vilnius became famous for opening its public spaces to the owners of bars and cafes and allowing them to expand their operations on streets, sidewalks, etc. R. Šimašius states that he intends to act in a similar way this summer.
“An invitation to register will be launched in February. A lot of people want to take their tables out in the summer, because we plan to still have pitches. Probably the only nuance that remains, which is very important, is that we are not always able to reconcile the interests of the person sitting at the table and the pedestrian passing by so easily.
It is all this time that the question arises of what width of sidewalk should be left, what space should be left for the passage and how to control it. We will reconcile these things in the next week and announce the order in which, near zero bureaucracy, [nurodyta] how to use public spaces ”, assured the mayor.
Currently, the incidence of Covid-19 in Lithuania reaches 298 cases per 100,000. population in 14 days.
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