More and more bars and restaurants are closing their doors in Oslo. Only in recent weeks has it become known that popular places such as Blå, Elsker, Cafe Christiania and Nieu Scene Soria Moria are closed indefinitely.
On Friday, City Councilor Raymond Johansen (Labor Party) briefed on several infection control measures. It was stated, among other things, that restaurants are allowed to stay open, but that they are not allowed to serve alcohol.
At the same time, the authorities’ own reports show that people are not infected in the restaurants (see further down in the case).
Pressed mood
At the venerable Gamle Raadhus in Oslo, the atmosphere is depressed. A year ago there was full activity in the kitchen, but now only a couple of chefs are on the move.
Tonight they are expecting 40 guests. Last year there were usually 200 party-minded guests.
Right now the situation looks bleak.
– What do you think about the new measures?
– It is the hook on the door for at least three weeks, and I expect it to be like that for the rest of Christmas as well. There is a well-founded fear of the virus among the people, says Eirik Strøm Lillebø, one of the owners of the restaurant.
When Dagbladet called right after Friday’s press conference, Lillebø was going to a management meeting. There they will decide if they manage to stay up in the weeks ahead. Lillebø could not give a final answer, but said that it looks very bad:
– We will probably have to cancel the Christmas tables as well. It just looks painful right now. One thing is that half of the turnover disappears when you can not drink alcohol, but who really wants to go out now?
He continues:
– We can hope it works out. We must grit our teeth and hope that there will be a support scheme that allows restaurants to be open on the day the virus is gone.
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Just yesterday, they received 70 cancellations for tables until Christmas. Tomorrow, 90 fewer guests will arrive than they had expected at the beginning of the week. This is traditionally the busiest season of the year and should be welcomed after a difficult year.
– We are talking to all suppliers now about opportunities for returning goods if we get more cancellations. Some are positive, but it is not always possible to return goods, says Christian Honstad, head chef at Gamle Raadhus.
He emphasizes that they of course stand up and take their share of the national charity to limit the infection, but that it is time for politicians to open their eyes to the vulnerable industry.
– Now we are quite desperate. There are limits to how long we can withstand the current situation. It’s not just the economy of the restaurant they are worried about. So are the employees.
– Brutal effect
The restaurants are already subject to several restrictions. For example, it is now not allowed to move freely in a restaurant without a face mask. Only when you sit down can you take it off.
For the chefs who work in open restaurants, this means that the mouthpiece must be on at all times.
The restaurants that are still open notice very well that there are fewer guests around the tables.
– This will of course have a brutal effect on our operations, Sebastian Myhre told Dagbladet a few days ago.
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He also stated that he was happy to see that the authorities could well come with a pat on the back to an industry that is struggling in strong headwinds.
– All serious players work hard to comply with all the requirements that have been set for us. In several cases, we have also gone further than the imposed requirements, Myhre said.
It does not help much in the situation that the authorities signal that one should stay away.
No proven infection in the restaurants
At all restaurants, it is now encouraged to register their visit electronically, so that any infection tracking will be as effective as possible.
Still: According to one recent report from the health service, there is hardly a known case where people have been infected in restaurants. (It must be emphasized at the same time that people who work as waiters and bartenders have had relatively high infection rates.)
– Isn’t it special to be so strict with the industry when there is such a small spread of infection here?
– As restaurants and bars are an arena with a high risk of infection, it has been very important to find good infection control measures for this industry, says business councilor Victoria Marie Evensen who will also praise the industry for their efforts:
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– Oslo Municipality has worked closely with the industry to find good infection control rules and where the vast majority of companies have been very good at complying with these. These measures have obviously had a good effect in that there is a low number of infected people who can be traced to the nightlife, Evensen says:
– The one-meter rule applies to all parts of society, and it hits the nightlife industry particularly hard and limits capacity. In addition, Oslo has chosen to reduce the serving times, because we know that it is more difficult to maintain distance throughout the evening with increased alcohol intake, she adds. She also urges the government to look at compensation schemes for the nightlife industry in particular:
– Then I am concerned that industries that suffer the most are also compensated in a good and accurate way. The state compensation schemes are good in many areas, but hit this industry hard. We have communicated this to the Minister of Trade and Industry this week and I hope that there will now be schemes that ensure a vibrant nightlife in Oslo even after the coronavirus.
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