THERE were differing views from members of the business community to the further easing of covid19 restrictions which take effect from today.
Prestige Holdings CEO Simon Hardy said in-house dining will be allowed at all of the restaurants under its franchise. Prestige is the franchise owner of KFC, Starbucks, Subway, Pizza Hut and TGIF restaurants.
Cinemas, restaurants , gyms and bars were amongst locations previously identified as covid19 safe zones
Hardy said, "For the safety of all our customers and staff we will be retaining some covid safety protocols, such as: mask wearing for staff and customers (except while eating), sanitisers available on entry, frequent sanitisation of high contact surfaces in restaurants, plexiglass safety glass remain in place."
Trent Restaurant Group CEO Peter George said, "All of our brands are already open, Trotters, Trotters San Fernando, Buzo, Tommy's, Blue Star Diner. All of these were covid19 safe zones and the group achieved 80 per cent covid19 vaccination of its staff.
"So tomorrow, we will be welcoming unvaccinated guests." There will be no checks for vaccination cards. But George said there be a continued maintenance of sanitisation in common areas of the restaurants and after guests finish their meals.
Apart from damage to business caused by extended periods of closure, George said, "We now have to face this hyper-inflationary environment which will continue to put pressure on prices to a point of unsustainability."
He added, "This will have a far greater impact than just business as it will erode purchasing power and suppress aggregate demand and make cost of living burdensome for everyday citizens."
Greater San Fernando Chamber of Commerce president Kiran Singh businessess within the restaurant and entertainment sectors can breathe a sigh of relief "now that there is no ceiling on the number of patrons being entertained."
He also hoped this means that food courts in shopping malls can re-open after " having been restricted from doing so for more than two years." Singh said this would benefit shoppers as well as employees who work in the malls themselves. He welcomed the maintenance of mandatory face mask wearing in public and hand santising. But Singh did not expect regular commercial activity to return immediately due to continued challenges with supply chains caused by the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 25.
Confederation of Regional Business Chambers coordinator Jai Leladarsingh felt Government took too long to relax the covid19 restrictions. He believed many small and medium enterprises suffered as a result of this.
He also said a lack of consultation between Government and the private sector led to increases in unemployment and wage cuts. Leladarsingh suggested Government consider some kind of fiscal stimulus to help reactivate the business sector in the medium term.
Addressing the House of Representatives on March 4, the Prime Minister announced the relaxation of several covid19 measures as TT begins to transition f
