Emily, a cook with the South African Chef Kobus van der Merwe of the Wolfgat restaurant on the beach in Paternoster, works on a steamy load of freshly cooked mussels in the restaurant’s kitchen on June 18, 2020. Picture: MARCO LONGARI / AFP
It looks as though it will be almost a week before we hear about the final green light for restaurants to reopen for sit-down meals … and any attendant restrictions.
Given that President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement of easing of level 3 restrictions on Wednesday night, and that he and the government have been in long and detailed discussions with the hospitality industry for months, we have to wonder if this is yet another part of a ploy to squeeze out “extra time” from the lockdown regulations.
The longer the delay in implementing the amended restrictions, the more the restaurant industry is going to continue to suffer.
And, it now appears that, sadly, even if restaurants are allowed to trade again, many will not reopen their doors. Restaurant Association of South Africa CEO Wendy Alberts says the organisation is aware of 700 establishments which have already closed for good.
This is terrible news in a sector which has about 23,000 restaurants and employs 800,000 people.
More will undoubtedly go under as patrons remain wary of going out in public and sharing space – and potential infection chances.
More and more, people are wondering if the lockdown medicine might well prove worse than the Covid-19 disease.
For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
