Bar owners: New restrictions a blow to the industry

President of the Barkeepers and Operators Association (BOATT) Teron Mohan says barkeepers are now "caught between a rock and a hard place."

He spoke after the Prime Minister announced in-house dining at bars and restaurants is to cease from 6 am on Monday.

Dr Rowley made the announcement at a press conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann's on Saturday afternoon. He said this, along with other changes, was to prevent people from gathering.

Mohan said bars are not like liquor marts, as patrons also rely on the entertainment factor provided at the former.

"It is going to go downhill. Bars weren't designed to operate like that. They weren't built to operate like that. We came about with a design to entertain, so if we cannot entertain, then it really doesn't work and it defeats the purpose entirely."

He said the arrangement may work for smaller bars, but added, "It's going to be a problem. It is a problem."

Asked if he is grateful bars were not shut down completely, he said, "I really don't know. I can't say I'm grateful.

"You allow bars to do grab-and-go – but a bar is not a grocery store. What kind of spending are you going to get? What's going to stop a person from just going to the grocery and getting their fill at a much lower cost?"

He said he was not surprised by the announcement.

He hopes over the next two days, people will operate responsibly and "not just see it as, 'We have to go out with a bang.' Responsibility needs to be adhered to."

Also at the press conference, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh warned against people crowding bars tor a "last drink" before Monday. He too urged them to be responsible.

Mohan said, "The association's numbers will suffer in the end. The whole industry will get a blow from this."

He said bars are continually being blamed for the recent spike in covid19 cases, but he believes it is a result of "irresponsible" campaigning leading up to the August 10 general election.

"They keep swinging around the term 'bars,' but the population is not stupid, and they know where this spike came from. We know very well."