Eateries Remain Confused As Booze Ban Draws Closer

Some restaurant owners have said that they're still confused by the government's directive to end some alcohol sales in eateries, even as the new restrictions were to take effect on Friday evening.

From 6pm, businesses that primarily sell alcohol with have to close for two weeks, and other establishment will have to shut any parts of their premises used for alcohol sales, according to new social distancing measures announced by the government.

The vagueness of the rules have left many restaurant owners unsure about whether they are allowed to continue operating or not.

Members of the Small and Medium Restaurant Federation said they are still figuring out how the authorities will treat restaurants that normally serve alcohol with meals.

As per the government directive, restaurants should close bar areas which mainly sell drinks. But they can continue their food-selling business.

They can also continue providing alcoholic drinks if those drinks are just to accompany meals.

Many of the federation's members blamed the government for slapping the order on them without much warning and for not holding talks with them before announcing the measures.

One restaurant owner said he is forced to close because the limited size of his establishment means the bar section is also used for cooking food.

Another member who operates a cafe said he is now trying to find out if he needs to close, as he sells food and coffee during the day and alcohol at night.

In the entertainment area of Wan Chai, many pubs said they were preparing to shut down by 6pm. Many of them had displayed notices explaining the new regulations.

Chris Foalle, the Operations & Marketing Manager at a pub called Devil’s Advocate said they will spend the next two weeks deep cleaning the bar and will be ready to reopen when they can.

Other establishments in the area said their business was down 70 percent anyway as customer numbers dropped dramatically in recent days.

Some said they saw a drop of around 50 percent due to anti-government protests and the coronavirus outbreak has been like a double whammy.

But these establishments said they are not planning to sack staff. They appealed to landlords to cut rents and urged the government to help them stay afloat.

Two establishments in the area, Istanbul Express and Ebeneezer’s, said they will continue to operate but will not sell alcohol.

Convenience stores in the area belonging to chains like 7-11 and Circle K said they will continue to sell alcohol.