MaRa and PAM: Restaurants and customers need to work together to prevent the virus spreading
The Finnish Hospitality Association MaRa and Service Union United PAM are appealing to restaurant industry operators and customers to fully comply with legislation brought in to prevent the spread of the virus as well as with hygiene and safety guidelines. This will help to prevent the situation worsening further for restaurant industry operators, employees and their families.
With the new, more transmissible variant of coronavirus and the delay in vaccine distribution, the hope that restaurant operators and employees had at the end of the year has given way to major concerns.
In the public debate, restaurant opening hours and young people’s hobbies have been pitted against each other. Following the extensive coronavirus outbreak in Jyväskylä last week, the government has been called on to impose tougher restrictions on restaurants or even to close them.
“The public debate takes no account at all of the deep and long-lasting effects that the coronavirus crisis has had on operators, employees and their families in terms of their livelihoods and coping. Virus infections involving individual restaurants have attracted huge amounts of media attention”, says MaRa’s CEO Timo Lappi.
PAM’s President Annikä Rönni-Sällinen stresses having faith in the professionalism of restaurant employees and operators in this challenging situation. Even though the virus has had a massive impact on livelihoods, their professional pride is still high.
“Finnish restaurant employees and owners are outstanding professionals in their sector. They are able to observe the restrictions imposed and act properly in times of crisis. More stringent restrictive measures are not needed when employees and restaurant operators show responsibility”, Rönni-Sällinen says.
Coronavirus transmission has been very rare in dining establishments. Our information indicates that total infections originating in the restaurant sector are only around 5 per cent of all infections. The Regional State Administrative Agencies already have broad powers to close a restaurant if it does not comply with coronavirus legislation.
“Closing these restaurants is the right action to take rather than threatening the entire industry with extensive new restrictions due to the actions of a few restaurant operators. It is essential that the government does not impose new restrictions on restaurants”, Lappi states.
Preventing the spread of the coronavirus is everybody’s duty. Nobody can be indifferent when it comes to preventing the spread of the virus even if they are not in a vulnerable group themselves.
“We thank restaurant customers for complying with legislation and the guidelines given by restaurants. Responsible customers ensure that restaurants are also a safe working environment for employees”, Rönni-Sällinen says.
“We call on each and every operator and customer to comply scrupulously with legislation and inhouse rules. Now is not the time for student parties or other parties. We hope that with operators, employees and customers working together we can avoid tougher restrictions being placed on restaurants. That would be the last straw for many operators in the sector,” Rönni-Sällinen and Lappi insist.