Updated 3.30pm with MHRA reaction

Restaurateurs are hopeful that today’s reopening will see diners rushing to eat out, even if establishments have to be shut by 5pm, according to the Association of Catering Establishments (ACE).

Noting that “people are desperate to go out”, ACE spokesperson and restaurateur Matthew Pace insisted that the planned distribution of vouchers is a “much-needed cash flow injection”.

Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Sunday the vouchers would start being issued on June 7.

The roll-out of similar vouchers last year spanned weeks and delays had concerned business owners who were eager to get the sector going again.

“We welcome the news on vouchers as very positive. It is a much-needed cash flow injection at the right time,” Pace said.

“Even though ACE foresees that people are eagerly looking forward to the reopening of our establishments, given the 15-month span of time of this pandemic, which has taken its toll on the income of most, an immediate cash flow injection of vouchers will re-stimulate revenue streams for the hospitality sector as a whole as had happened last summer.”

[attach id=1059289 size="large" align="left" type="image"]Restaurants reopen on Monday and travel to Gozo is also allowed. Graphic: Claire Caruana[/attach]

The vouchers – €60 to be spent in catering establishments and €40 for retail outlets – are part of efforts to get the economy up and running after the closures brought about by the pandemic.

The reopening of restaurants comes over two months since they were shut in early March as the country was headed towards the worst wave of COVID-19 infections.

The move is the first in a series of steps in the country’s reopening plan for the industry.

For now, establishments can only open until 5pm and can only seat a maximum of four per table. Although for the majority of restaurants’ 70 per cent of revenue is generated after 5pm, Pace said he expects the turnout to be good.

As a restaurant owner himself, Pace said that although there are struggles and the sector continued to question the effectiveness of a 5pm curfew, he believes many in the business have learnt to adapt over the past year.

Restaurants reopen on Monday and travel to Gozo is also allowed. Graphic: Claire Caruana

“Before the pandemic, only around 300 eateries offered delivery. There are now at least 900 with take away options. We now need to make the most of the window we have,” he said.

“I would normally open at 10am, instead I will have everything up and running by 7am.”

On those breaking the rules, he said the association was urging the government to be vigilant in its enforcement and make sure those not adhering to the rules are penalised.

Before the March closures, he said, some establishments were blatantly breaking the rules and, because of some 20 of these rule-breakers, the entire sector had to pay the price.

“The association again calls on the authorities to make sure that wrongdoers will not get away with just a slap on the wrist... there needs to be strict enforcement,” Pace said.

The government last week unveiled more details about its reopening plan, confirming restaurants will be allowed to open until midnight as from May 24, as long as the number of new cases of infection does not spike in the meantime.

Bars and clubs remain shuttered and will only be allowed to reopen on June 7. Unlike restaurants, bars have been unable to serve patrons since October, when the government first ordered their closure amid an increase in the spread of the virus, caused by social gatherings.

Retail outlets were allowed to reopen on April 26, the same day non-essential services also resumed activity.

MHRA expresses relief

On Monday morning the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association expressed "relief", describing restaurants as "a cornerstone of the tourism sector and a critical facility for hotel operations".

"Our businesses have suffered terribly and deserve to succeed having been extremely responsible and patient during this difficult time," the association said in a statement. 

“We appreciate that during the lockdown restrictions, the government supported our operations with grants, in particular the wage subsidies, to ensure that we survive during this extremely difficult period and accordingly be ready to reopen when the right time comes.

"We are not out of the woods yet, and some of the announced protocols and measures make it very challenging for businesses to operate and to be financially sustainable.