Prime minister Ludovic Orban on Wednesday said in eastern Braila that opening restaurants in closed spaces is a premature measure, which can lead, according to the epidemiological risk assessment he has made, to an increase in the number of infections with the new type of coronavirus.
The prime minister's statement answered a question that some tourism employers announced that they will sue the Government for undermining the national economy if hotel restaurants do not open on 15 June.
"I'm telling you very clearly, given the epidemiological risk assessment, restaurants in closed spaces present a major epidemiological risk, because, on the one hand, the large number of people sitting in the restaurant, the long time spent, that this is also an element by which you judge the epidemiological risk, the fact that you cannot wear a mask, because if you eat, if you serve the meal, of course, you cannot carry the mask and due to the range of spread of the virus, so the particles that are removed outside have a spread of up to six meters, i.e. they can infect people who are at the table within six meters. This is the truth, based on the epidemiological risk assessment: prematurely opening restaurants in closed spaces can lead to an increase in the number of infections," Orban said.
The Executive's head stated that, for the time being, the open-air restaurants have been allowed to open, and those who have hotels, almost all have outdoor restaurants, so they can ensure the service of meals in these spaces or in the room-service system.
"For now, the terraces are open, people have this opportunity. Those who have hotels, almost all have terraces, can provide dining on terraces or room-service. It's risky at the moment to let go of this measure. If you pay attention, in general, we have allowed, in the first phase, the resumption of those activities that take place outdoors, in the second phase, of those which present, even if they take place in closed space, a lower epidemiological risk," the prime minister said.
Ludovic Orban noted that if things go well by 1st of July, other relaxation measures have been thought of.
The Federation of Romanian Tourism Employers (FPTR) on Wednesday sent a press release stating that it intends to sue the Government for undermining the national economy, if restaurants in hotels do not open on 15 June, given that more than 500,000 Romanians have already purchased accommodation services in the country, with meals included, which cannot be provided under these conditions.
Even a two-week delay in the opening of hotel restaurants puts Romania at a great competitive disadvantage compared to other countries in the area, which have already lifted these restrictions and, at the same time, is bankrupting more than two-thirds of the hotels in the country, the FPTR release reads.
According to the source, a delay in the opening of restaurants after 15 June puts Romanian tourism, in the middle of the summer season, at a huge disadvantage compared to other countries in the area, which have already lifted these restrictions, relaxing the measures of the HoReCa.
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