Coronavirus: Call to vaccinate restaurant and bar staff

The association of recreation centre owners (Osika), on Saturday called for the prompt vaccination of employees in the food and beverage sector to better protect public health.

Head of Osika, Neophytos Thrasyvoulou, told the Cyprus News Agency that employees working in bars, cafes and restaurants should be vaccinated immediately, to exclude any possibility that restaurants and staff working in these places would transmit the virus to customers.

Cyprus’ vaccination programme is prioritised according to age with the older population getting the vaccine first. People with serious health conditions are also given priority.

Thrasyvoulou stated that the improvement of the weather conditions will favour the reopening of such businesses in all districts, mainly on weekends when they are expected to be very busy. He said that more businesses are expected to resume operations this weekend especially in the mountainous areas now that the temperature is starting to rise.

Restaurants, cafes and bars are only allowed to serve sitting customers in outside areas or in areas where there is adequate air flow.

Many businesses in the mountainous areas had remained closed because of the low temperatures and adverse weather conditions in recent weeks making it impossible to serve people outside.

Thrasyvoulou expressed hope that the epidemiological situation would improve.

“We hope, that in the coming days there will be a drop in cases,” he said, while expressing his concern about what will happen in Easter.

It is not certain there will be further relaxations for the Easter holidays since cases have been gradually rising as well as the number of hospitalisations of people with coronavirus.

It is clear, he said, that food and beverage businesses do not have many survival options, and that they must receive further state support.

Thrasyvoulou also called on all Osika members to observe all the protection measures and to implement to the letter, the health protocols in place for their own benefit and their customers.