Israel's restaurant and cafe sector is waiting anxiously to hear the outcome of today's coronavirus cabinet meeting. The Israel Restaurants Association said, "We are still working under restrictions that hurt our businesses and we are hearing about the possibility of a closure for the holidays. If there is a closure that is not serious, we will continue to operate with our own purple badge instructions."
The coronavirus cabinet will meet at 4pm today and the Covid-19 chief Prof. Ronni Gamzu will present his plan for coping with the coronavirus in Israel. It is not yet clear if there will even be a vote on the plan but the catering sector fears there will be another closure. There have been reports that the Ministry of Health and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu favor the option of a closure during next month's Jewish holidays.
Israel Restaurants Association CEO Shay Berman told "Globes" that, "If a reasonable decision is taken, then we will respect it. If the decision is illogical, then we won't accept it and we will work with our own purple badge. There is a feeling here that the government has lost its credibility."
He added, "They see us as a branch that is easy to close, even though there is no statistical evidence about infection. We are already anxious because we know that unexpected decisions are taken and carried out in a flash ahead of the weekend, late at night or just before the Sabbath comes in. If there is a vote on the issue of a closure, we have been promised that Blue and White's ministers will vote against it."
Earlier this month Berman and chef Haim Cohen sent the government a proposal based on its traffic light system whereby local authorities would act according to the degree of infection in their area.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on August 20, 2020 © Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2020