Mozambique: INAE claims bars trying to circumvent Covid-19 rules

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Mozambique: INAE claims bars trying to circumvent Covid-19 rules

6:29 CAT | 08 Feb 2021

in file CoM

Bars are attempting to circumvent the government decree closing them down by converting themselves into bottle stores, according to Rita Freitas, the General Inspector of the government’s National Inspectorate of Economic Activities (INAE), cited in Monday’s issue of the independent newssheet “Mediafax”.

Last week, the government reinstated its ban on bars and on stalls and kiosks selling alcoholic drinks, as part of its measures to restrict the spread of the Covid-19 respiratory disease. The belief is that bars encourage numbers of people to gather at close quarters for lengthy periods, providing a favourable environment for the spread of the coronavirus.

But businesses licensed as bottle stores have not been closed, although they must shut their doors at 13.00.

Freitas protested that bars are trying to deceive the authorities by rebranding themselves as bottle stores, or as restaurants. She claimed they are simply looking for ways to continue selling alcohol, since they certainly do not possess the conditions required to run a restaurant.

She said they merely sell some basic dishes of food in order to deceive the INAE inspectors. Because of this attempt to carry on selling alcohol under different names, the issuing of licences for new restaurants and bottle stores is currently suspended.

Freitas also claimed that home delivery of alcoholic drinks is expressly forbidden in Mozambique. She claimed that online sales of alcohol is a recent invention by bars and bottle stores so that they can go on selling alcohol at any time of day.

“Are they operating a take-away regime?”, she asked. “In Mozambique, take-away of alcoholic drinks is forbidden. A restaurant cannot sell alcohol accompanied by a meal to take home. It can only sell alcoholic drinks to be consumed inside the restaurant. A take-away establishment cannot sell alcoholic drinks to take away. Only food.”

As for complaints that the curfew in force in the Greater Maputo Metropolitan Area, from 21.00 to 04.00, will not work because of the long distances workers must travel between home and work, Freitas suggested the problem can be overcome if the human resource departments in companies simply put the workers who live far from the company on the early shifts.

It has been said repeatedly that workers in restaurants cannot reach their homes before the curfew, if the restaurants close at 20.00. But Freitas pointed out that, if the owners choose, restaurants can close earlier.

“Let’s collaborate”, she urged. “We’re not going to lose the business just because of an hour”.

Source: AIM