Restaurants are really feeling the virus bite

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.

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