The owners of restaurants are screaming in agony. Mainly in the province of Famagusta which has been affected by the destruction of the tourism sector, the second and biggest blow came from the lockdowns and the continuous freezing of the sector's operations.
In his lens Famagusta.News Vangelis Liotatis, owner of the historic tavern "Vangelis" which is now housed in Protaras and Loukas Polykarpou, owner of the restaurant-playground "Play4All" in Paralimni spoke.
As they report, the existing measures and the absence of tourism have brought a final blow to their businesses, while they appealed to the Government to support the catering sector with measures.
See the statements as recorded by Famagusta.News camera:
The Famagusta Association of Leisure Center Owners makes a final appeal to the Government for the measures against the coronavirus
The Association of Owners of Leisure Centers of Famagusta (S.I.K.A.A.) in a statement calls on the government to take seriously the problems and peculiarities of our industry when deciding on new measures against the spread of the coronavirus but especially for business support measures.
As stated in the announcement, to date, apart from the very small one-time sponsorship that has been given, the companies have not been substantially supported. "The plans, it was reported, were aimed at maintaining jobs, which is legitimate and of course we welcome it, but it was done at a time when there was essentially insufficient turnover, so companies in our industry have not benefited from it. the subsidy. ” The announcement emphasizes, at the same time, that “the major issue of business rents and operating expenses has not been resolved yet, while at the same time the payment of installments to the banks has begun. "All of this threatens businesses with total disaster, the consequences of which will shift to employees and society."
At the same time, as it is stated, “if the epidemiological picture of Cyprus does not improve and if the vaccination does not proceed immediately in Cyprus and in other countries, it will negatively affect this tourist season, which will be a disaster for the entire Cypriot Economy. . ”
As an organized group, the announcement states, "we have pointed out the specific issues to the Government many times, both through relevant letters we have sent and through meetings and teleconferences with the competent Ministries and political parties."
"We understand, the announcement continues, the problems that exist and the unprecedented conditions we live in and the fact that public health must be preserved first and foremost. "But we can not remain mere spectators in the destruction of our industry because of the specific problems that have remained unresolved for 10 months under the pretext of constitutional and legal obstacles, at a time when many fundamental human rights are being violated in an effort to stem the pandemic."
Finally, the announcement concludes by saying that "tomorrow we will wait for the announcements of the Government for the new measures, both for the suppression of the pandemic and for the support of the companies and we will act accordingly."
Famagusta.News