Representatives of the National Association of Restaurants and Recreational Facilities of Moldova (MĂR) ask the authorities to lift the restrictions concerning the working hours of public eating places. In a letter addressed to the Government, these demand to eliminate the provision that allow them to work only until 10pm, invoking the decrease in the number of infections with COVID-19, IPN reports.

The letter says the decision to limit activity until 10pm was taken by the National Extraordinary Public Health Commission amid the alarming rise in the number of cases of COVID-19 to 2,000 during 24 hours. “Given the decline in the number of cases to under 1,000 over 24 hours, we respectfully ask to lift the restriction that shortens the working program of the public eating places by 10pm,” runs the letter signed by MĂR.

The Association’s representatives note that the limitation of the work program causes considerable damage to the economic activity of the enterprises of the hospitality industry and leads to the impossibility of paying salaries to employees.

The National Extraordinary Public Health Commission on November 30, 2020 decided that the restaurants, bars and cafés can work only until 10pm. The same restriction was later extended to cover the public eating paces situated inside filling stations, shopping centers, airports, international ports and border crossing points.

By January 7, Moldova has got 148,294 infections with the novel coronavirus. The death toll from COVID-19 now stands at 3,106.