The restaurant industry is furious at the government's proposal: "Incomprehensible"

The government wants to extend the infection control measures at restaurants until the first of July next year, according to a memorandum from the Ministry of Social Affairs.

The current law will actually expire at the turn of the year, but now it is proposed that the restrictions that apply since this summer for bars and restaurants, among other places, should continue.

"We have to persevere and persevere.

Continued measures are needed to curb the spread of infection ", writes Minister of Social Affairs Lena Hallengren (S) in a comment to TT.

Counteracts congestion

Hallengren believes that the current legislation needs to remain in place to counteract congestion and the spread of infection in, for example, restaurants and bars.

"This is important, because service places are otherwise places where you stay long and close with many others, which increases the risk of infection," Hallengren writes in his comment.

The proposal will now be referred, the idea is then to present a bill with the proposal to extend the law

With the message came, as expected, no shouts of joy from the restaurant and restaurant industry.

- We are extremely surprised and upset that the government is going out with this without having a dialogue with us.

It is inconceivable that you can do this to industries that are already suffering, says Jonas Siljhammar, CEO of the industry organization Visita.

Want to make the wheels spin

Unlike the proposal in question, the industry had expected easing of restrictions during the autumn.

- Instead, we get this.

Of course, public health comes first, but with the contagion situation we have today, it is more a matter of getting the wheels in many different industries to spin again, including restaurants and restaurants, says Siljhammar.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the industry has suffered a "huge loss of turnover".

If the restrictions continue, mass bankruptcies are likely.

So far this year, more than 50,000 people in the industry have lost their jobs or been notified, according to Siljhammar.

- I am extremely questioning about how the government knows what the situation with the spread of infection looks like next summer, he says.