Bitter blow for North Coast eateries as lockdown level 4 strikes

North Coast restaurant owners say they have been unfairly labelled potential spreaders of Covid-19 and should have been allowed to operate normally under the return to lockdown level 4.

On Sunday President Cyril Ramaphosa announced, among other measures, that restaurants could only offer takeaways and deliveries in the wake of the third wave.

As of Monday, sitting down at a restaurant could see you arrested and sentenced to 6 months’ imprisonment.

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The same applies for churchgoers and spectators at sporting matches.

A fine may also apply and the same goes for any other social gatherings.

But some local restaurant owners say they have been able to introduce stricter Covid-19 screening measures than grocers and other large retail outlets.

Owner of Ballito’s oldest trading restaurant, Al Pescatore, Trevor Wolf said he prayed lockdown would not be extended past July 11.

The president’s announcement caught him off guard completely, leaving him in shock.

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“We had no choice but to take a R300 000 loan during the last hard lockdown. We are still paying it off,” he said.

According to Wolf, his restaurant had not seen one positive case of Covid-19 to date.

But he had no choice but to close the restaurant entirely until regulations are relaxed once again – a choice which costs him R100 000 per month.

“We still pay electricity, rates, rent and other fees such as for point of sale devices,” he said, adding that he was lucky to own the building he trades from but that other restaurant owners still had landlords to look in the eyes.

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“You can encounter someone at a shop and possibly get infected with Covid-19 – we at least take temperatures and ensure that social distancing is maintained.”

Al Pescatore will continue paying staff a portion of their salaries in an effort to help them also weather the storm, Wolf concluded.

Mozambik Ballito owner, Brett Michielin said that while they were prepared for the worst, President Ramaphosa ‘wasn’t shy with giving it’ to them.

Commenting on the hardships faced during the last hard lockdown, Michielin said one was never able to fully recover but, despite the obvious difficulties they could weather a 2-week lockdown.

“It is not really feasible for us to remain open but we do so with deliveries and takeaways as a means to create a little bit of employment,” he said.

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The Restaurant Association of South Africa (RASA) believes the sector would be the most hard hit after a move to level 4 without any support.

It is concerned that thousands of jobs could be lost.

RASA spokesperson, Wendy Alberts said the industry had not had any tax deferment or halting of leases or rent.

She called on government to provide support for the sector.

Government’s move to restrict restaurants was unconstitutional, she said, questioning why the restaurant industry had not been offered the vaccine yet, especially if they were at the forefront and unfairly labelled responsible for the spread of the virus.

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A new curfew has also been implemented and applies from 9pm to 4am, meaning non-essential businesses are forced to close by 8pm.

The remaining restrictions include: no alcohol sales, no indoor and outdoor gatherings, funerals and cremations are limited to 50 people, night vigils and after-funeral gatherings are not allowed, beaches and parks remain open, travel in and out of Gauteng is prohibited for leisure but you are permitted to return home to the province, visits to old age homes and care facilities are restricted, all schools are to close by Friday for the holidays and all contact classes at tertiary facilities will stop on Wednesday, June 30.