Restaurant guilds call for Feb. 1 reopening

Gastronomy, tourism,  and restaurants make a country grow,” said Luis Pinedo Velásquez, advisor to the Association of Restaurants, Bars and Clubs of Panama (ARBYD) while urging the Cabinet Council – which is meeting Tuesday – to advance the date to reopen, to February 1.

“We are talking about the gastronomic sector that provides the most popular sectors with a source of daily sustenance, those who wash dishes, waiters, bartenders , have been hit and will be hit more” if it is not opened soon, said the ARBYD advisor. , on Telemetro Report .

He added that this sector constitutes one of the largest economic sources  of the country  along with  the construction sector

The Government planned to reopen face-to-face restaurants, with the use of acrylic screens

 Pinedo Velásquez said that, according to scientific studies, the screen “is not the solution”, in addition to creating an additional cost.

In a recent statement, the ARBYD and the Association of Craft Brewers of Panama (ACAP) presented a series of proposals to the authorities, with the aim of moving towards the reactivation of this sector.

Among the ideas is the provision of outdoor dining rooms and open spaces that allow t attention to diners outside of the traditional service rooms.

In addition, they indicated that in places where it is impossible to be outdoors, the circulation of fresh air and good ventilation should be checked, through windows, installation of fans, and HEPA filters in air conditioners and purifiers.

In the statement, ARBYD and ACAP, which represent about 300 businesses, reported that this activity generates about 9,000 direct jobs and 25,000 indirect jobs.