The decision by some restaurant owners not to reopen on Friday shows that Malta's businesses are not taking an “open at all costs” approach, the Chamber of Commerce said. 

In a press briefing on the series of post-coronavirus economic measures the Chamber had presented to government, president David Xuereb noted many restaurant owners were being responsible and only re-opening for business if they truly believe it is safe to do so. 

“It’s good that we don’t have cowboys attitudes where we open at all costs. That is good news for Malta. 

“This will show that Malta is truly disciplined. The worst thing we can have is to start the reopening process and maybe having to backtrack or sanction operators,” Xuereb said. 

His comments come as the country gears up for the reopening of restaurants, hairdressers and other non-essential services on Friday. 

While some restaurants rushed to announce they would be reopening their doors, albeit with strict restrictions in place, others have said they would not be opening up this weekend. 

Chamber puts forward proposals

Earlier, the Chamber president unveiled the proposals put forward to the government in recent days. 

These included ensuring the continuous flow of liquidity that would allow businesses to keep afloat, the mobilisation of the labour force, the need for a shift in mindset, as well as the need to stimulate innovation. 

“We need to shift away from assuming that we have to repeat what we have been doing. The new norm is different so the need to shift mindset, especially in the skills, is crucial,” Xuereb said. 

Association of Catering Establishments welcomes reopening of restaurants

Meanwhile, the Association of Catering Establishments in a statement welcomed the decision to open outdoor and indoor dining.

Outdoor dining was very important for restaurants as they could have more covers while maintaining social distancing requirements. 

The association said that although still not an ideal scenario, it appreciated the continuous efforts to find balanced and sensible solutions between the economic realities and health concerns. 

It lauded the government's commitment to monitor the situation on a daily basis to evaluate the possibility of relaxing measures further and the continuation of wage supplements in view of the current circumstances.