Restaurants and bars on midnight closing

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 Wednesday, June 17, 2020 - 09:01
Restaurants and bars on midnight closing

*From yesterday’s Government Press Conference

by FABIAN PICARDO

Chief Minister

I look forward to meeting the Gibraltar Catering Association, in coming weeks led by Gino Jimenez.

Vijay Daryanani has met with a number of catering hospitality tenants who enjoy terrace space by licence from the Government to extend the areas that they can use. He will be meeting others during the course of this week.

This means that their reduced capacity can be increased by additional space, at least outside for some of the better weather months.

This has worked very well in the area of Chatham Counterguard and will work well in areas like Casemates.

But even in areas like Irish Town we think we can add space and also elsewhere beyond the centre of Town.

In some places, it may just not be physically possible.

What we have found is that in the area of Chatham, patrons were unable to contain themselves and the exuberance of being out after so long has got the better of many.

I was there on Friday, sat at a table, inside one of the establishments.

The restaurants I think have managed their distances and establishments have acted in keeping with the public health advice and the Environmental Agency permits.

Unfortunately, many patrons did not cooperate after dinnertime and started to congregate in what we would usually have regarded as normal groups.

Based on public health advice, therefore, we are going to modify the permits and, if necessary, the law in this respect to provide extra protection in this crucial phase.

Public safety continues to be important, and given the scenes that have been reported to us from over the weekend, as from today, all restaurants will now only be able to operate until midnight.

This curfew rule will apply to bars also once they open too.

Restaurants will therefore as from today be required to close at MIDNIGHT until ROCK UNLOCKED on the 1st of August.

BARS

For similar reasons, we are looking at the issue of permitting the opening of bars very carefully.

Many that serve food have already opened as restaurants.

It is likely that they will be permitted to operate, subject to guidelines, as from Monday 22nd June. As is the case for restaurants, permits will be issued by the Director of Public Health and will be managed through the Environmental Agency.

There will be announcements on the guidelines and measures that need to be put in place in the coming days.

Bars that do not serve food will therefore be able to open very likely as from the 22nd of this month.

Permits are being prepared in this respect.

I emphasise that all Bars will also have to close by midnight.

17-06-2020 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR