Krav til regeringen: Udvid åbningstiden for restaurationsbranchen i Danmark (English translation in copy)

Krav til den danske regering: udvid åbningstiden for den danske restaurationsbranche og tag branchen med på råd.

(ENGLISH TRANSLATION BELOW)

For at bevare jobs og undgå, at flere sunde forretninger lukker ned, samt endnu større økonomiske konsekvenser for samfundet, stiller vi følgende krav til regeringen:

• At den nuværende lukketid for restaurationsbranchen udvides fra 22:00 til midnat.
• At eksperter og repræsentanter fra de forskellige grene af restaurationsbranchen (cocktailbarer, spillesteder, high-end restauranter mv.) aktivt involveres i fremtidige beslutnings- og strategimøder angående håndteringen af corona, herunder 1) politiets rolle og ansvar i håndhævelsen af restriktioner, og 2) effektiviseringen af smitteopsporing.
• At regeringen formulerer en langsigtet strategi med konkrete faser og handlingsplaner for nedlukning og genåbning af samfundet, så barer, caféer og restauranter har mulighed for at planlægge og tilpasse deres forretningsmodel samt genere indtægt.

Baggrund:

Siden starten af coronakrisen har danske restauranter, barer og caféer været underlagt en række restriktioner og lovindgreb, der har haft store konsekvenser for selvstændige erhvervsdrivende såvel som for branchen overordnet. Restaurationsbranchen har indtil nu udvist samfundssind og fulgt regeringens restriktioner ud fra et fælles ønske om at bistå indsatsen overfor corona og bevarelsen af befolkningens sundhed og den danske økonomi.

Da branchen i september uden saglige argumenter eller beviser blev påbudt at lukke ned kl. 22:00, satte det midlertidigt et stort spørgsmålstegn ved regeringens indsats over for corona. Selvstændige bar-ejere og brancheorganisationer har sidenhen forgæves forsøgt at appellere til regeringen om at blive taget med på råd, sådan at der kan findes en balance mellem befolkningens sikkerhed og det danske erhvervslivs beståen.

Lukning kl. 22:00 har store konsekvenser for især barer, der oftest har størst omsætning i tidsrummet efter kl. 22:00, og for restauranter, der pludselig er ude af stand til at servere anden omgang af gæster. Regeringens udmelding kom uden nogen garanti for kompensation, og selvom der sidenhen er kommet en mulighed for at få dækket enkelte omkostninger, er det en sølle håndsrækning, der ikke dækker lønninger. Som en konsekvens heraf har flere steder været nødsaget til enten at tvinge deres personale til gå ned i timer eller helt at fyre dem. Herudover venter mange endnu på at få udbetalt kompensation fra tidligere.

Det sætter branchen i en situation, hvor man ikke længere kan generere nok omsætning til både at holde åbent og udbetale løn til personale. Efter i 7 måneder at have udbetalt danskernes skattekroner for at holde branchen kørende og arbejdsløsheden nede, har man nu valgt at tabe det hele på gulvet. Det er ikke kun studerende, der mister deres fritidsjob, men flere tusinde professionelle bartendere, tjenere, kokke, baristaer og rengøringsfolk. Derudover påvirkes et helt net af supplerende brancher.

Regeringens argumenter for de nye restriktioner var blandt andet, at 1/4 af de nye coronatilfælde var unge mellem 20-29, og at smittespredningen i høj grad skete til store private forsamlinger og såkaldte "piratfester"(1). 

Netop derfor stiller især barerne sig uforstående overfor kravet om at lukke ned kl. 22:00. Hvis problemet ligger i, at unge fester for tæt og uden omtanke ude i privaten, giver det langt mere meningen at lade befolkningen være sociale under kontrollerede og sikre forhold. Blot fordi barerne lukker kl. 22:00, stopper festerne ikke, et faktum som de unge også selv har bekræftet overfor medierne(2). 

Når regeringen desuden vælger at udmelde om nye tiltag og restriktioner uden varsel, rammes branchen ekstra hårdt. Man er fra den ene dag til den anden nødt til at aflyse reservationer, eller man har fået aflysninger på stribe, fordi befolkningen er blevet skræmt af regeringens retorik. Herudover har den trinvise genåbning med 23-reglen skabt stor forvirring og resulteret i, at hverken befolkningen eller de, der skal håndhæve loven, ved, hvad der er rigtigt eller forkert. Det har medført, at personale i restaurationsbranchen efter 7 måneder er fuldstændigt fysisk og psykisk udkørte som følge af det ekstra ansvar, der følger med at sørge for, at gæsterne håndhæver restriktionerne.

Barerne er blevet gjort til syndebukke i et større politisk spil, hvor der hverken er forståelse for den form forretning, som en bar er, eller et ønske om at anerkende bardrift som et professionelt erhverv. Restaurationsbranchen i Danmark er i stor stil drevet af selvstændige erhvervsdrivende, som nu står uden nogen garanti for, at de kan holde deres forretning kørende. 

Herudover rammer restriktionerne også Michelin-restauranter og anerkendte cocktailbarer, hvis klientel må menes at være både ældre og i besiddelse af en anden privatøkonomi end nyudklækkede universitetsstuderende. Mange af disse etablissementer er desuden med til at gøre Danmark, og især København, til en attraktiv turistdestination, hvilket i de sidste mange år har gavnet den danske økonomi. Så sent som sidste år var København nr. 1 på Lonely Planets Top 10 destinationer, man skal besøge i 2019(3). Danmark står nu til at miste en hel industri og en stor del af den turisme, der gerne skulle komme tilbage, når vi er på den anden side af corona. 

Til Sundhedsminister Magnus Heunickes udtalelse på pressemødet d. 18. september om, at regeringen "ikke nødvendigvis behøver komme med beviserne for at kunne begrunde sundhedsfagligt, at det er det rigtige at gøre", henviser vi til en igangværende underskriftindsamling fra sundhedsfagligt personale i Danmark(4):

"Fra et sundhedsfagligt perspektiv stiller vi os uforstående overfor de lovindgreb, som regeringen og folketinget har foretaget i forbindelse med det aktuelle udbrud af Covid-19. Vi er bekymrede for de sundhedsmæssige, sociale og økonomiske konsekvenser, som indgrebene har i forhold til befolkningens generelle trivsel og vores rettigheder som mennesker. Vi oplever, at de indgreb, der er foretaget, hviler på et meget spinkelt sundhedsfagligt grundlag, og at alvoren i det aktuelle udbrud af Covid-19 ikke står mål med konsekvenserne af indgrebene."

[...]

"Konsekvenserne af indgrebene, som regeringen og folketinget har indført, er ude af proportioner og gør mere skade end gavn for os alle sammen som enkeltpersoner, for sundhedsvæsenet og for det danske samfund som helhed. Vi mener, at restriktionerne og indgrebene bør ophæves øjeblikkeligt, så vi igen kan få et trygt og velfungerende samfund."

(ENG) Call for the Danish government: expand the current closing hours for the Danish hospitality industry and acknowledge the industry as a relevant advisor to government in the case of coronavirus.

In order to preserve jobs, and avoid the closure of several more healthy businesses and further financial consequences to the Danish society, we call on the Danish government to:

• Prolong the current 22:00 closing time until midnight for the hospitality industry.
• Actively involve experts and representatives from the different areas of the hospitality industry (cocktail bars, music venues, high-end restaurants etc.) in future decisions and strategy meetings relating to the handling of coronavirus, including 1) the role and responsibility of the police in the enforcement of the restrictions, and 2) developing a more efficient system for tracking contamination.
• Formulate a long-term strategy containing concrete descriptions of phases and step-by-step action plans for the closing down and reopening of society, so that bars, cafés and restaurants have the possibility to plan and adjust their business models in order to generate a sustainable income.

Background:

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the Danish hospitality industry has been subject to a number of restrictions that have had severe consequences for independent businesses as well as for the industry as a whole. Until now, the hospitality industry has shown an enormous will to cooperate and dutifully abided by the government restrictions, with the desire to aid the fight against COVID-19 and help preserve the health of the Daish population and the resilience of the Danish economy. 

However, when the hospitality industry in September was forced to close at 22:00 without any solid arguments or evidence to back the decision, it generated scepticism towards the government's handling of coronavirus. Since then, independent bar owners and industry organisations have tried desperately to send an appeal to the government to include the advice and knowledge of the industry, so that a balance can be made between securing the safety of the population and maintaining the health of the Danish business community.

Closing at 22:00 has had severe consequences for in particular bars, who generate their main income in the hours after 22:00, and for restaurants, who have lost their second seating altogether. The government's new set of restrictions were announced without any guarantee of compensation or subsidy, and whilst some financial coverage for certain expenses has since been promised, it is a petty token, which does not cover salaries. The direct consequence of this is less staffable hours, forcing employers to cut salaries for their employees, or worse, fire them. On top of this, many venues are yet to receive previously promised compensation packages from this summer. 

This has put the hospitality industry in a situation where it is no longer possible to generate enough income to both remain open and pay staff. After 7 months of spending tax-payers' money on keeping the industry afloat, the Danish government has now chosen to let it sink. It is not just students losing their part-time job. It is several thousand professional bartenders, waiters, chefs, baristas and cleaning personnel. Not to mention the numerous other industries supplementing the hospitality industry.

Some of the Danish government's argument for closing at 22:00 included the fact that roughly 1/4 of new cases were young people aged 20-29, and that most new cases occurred at large, social gatherings where distancing is difficult, the so-called "pirate parties"(1).

Exactly because of this argument, the hospitality industry cannot comprehend the government's demand to close at 22:00. If the issue is indeed that young people party too closely in private settings, then letting the Danish public socialise in a controlled and certified safe environment would make more sense. The party does not stop just because the bars close at 22:00, a known fact that the young people in Denmark themselves have highlighted in the media(2).

Furthermore, when the government chose to wait until the last minute to inform of new restrictions, it causes severe damage to the industry. From one day to another, venues have been forced to postpone or cancel reservations, or venues have received waves of cancellations due to the government rhetoric generating fear amongst the population. In addition, the gradual opening with the 23-rule has caused confusion, and in effect, neither the population nor the officers of the law knowing what is legally right or wrong. As a result of the past 7 months' struggles and the extra task of ensuring that guests abide by the rules, people within the hospitality industry are physically as well as mentally exhausted.

The bars have been made scapegoats in a larger political circus, where there is no understanding for the type of business that a bar is, let alone any desire to begin with to recognise it as a professional business. The hospitality industry in Denmark is largely represented by independent business owners, who are now left without any guarantee that they will be able to continue their business. 

The restrictions also severely impact a number of Michelin-star restaurants and renowned cocktail bars, whose guests can be said to be both older and with a different income than that of newly hatched university students. Many of these establishments have also helped make Denmark and in particular Copenhagen, a desired destination for travellers and tourists, which in past years have significantly benefitted the Danish economy. As recent as last year, Copenhagen was No.1 on Lonely Planet's list of Top 10 destinations to visit in 2019. Denmark now faces losing an entire industry, as well as a significant part of the tourism that the country would want to see return once coronavirus has passed us by.

In regard to the statement from the Danish Minister of Health, Magnus Heunicke, at the September 18 press conference, which claimed that the government "does not need any evidence to justify that from a health perspective [clsoing at 22:00] is the right thing to do", we would like to refer to an ongoing petition circulating amongst health personnel in Denmark: 

"From the perspective of health professionals, we are unable to understand the legislative intervention performed by the government and Parliament in connection with the current outbreak of COVID-19. We are concerned about the health-related, social and financial impact of the interventions on the thriving of the general population and on our human rights. We find that the interventions that have happened so far are based on very thin argument health-professionally and that the severity of the actual COVID-19 outbreak does not measure up to the consequences of these restrictions.

[...]

The consequences of the restrictions that the government and Parliament have imposed are out of proportion and are generating more harm than good for us as individuals, for the health care system, and for the Danish society as a whole. We believe that the current restrictions and interventions should cease immediately so that we can once again have a safe and functioning society. 

Kildehenvisninger/Sources:

1. Altinget, 25. oktober 2020: https://www.altinget.dk/artikel/regeringen-og-myndighederne-har-indkaldt-til-coronapressemoede

2. Information, 28. september 2020: https://www.information.dk/debat/2020/09/aabn-barerne-uden-barpersonalet-glemmer-coronareglerne-smitter-loes-privatfester?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=btn&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=tp&fbclid=IwAR1rFwcwKIYv3rI2NryTriU5jQezk3jK0Wz3MBwZD2QyTFukJtXA1tJGUks

3. CNN, 23. oktober 2018: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/lonely-planet-top-10-cities-2019/index.html 

4. Skrivunder.net, 13. oktober 2020: https://www.skrivunder.net/erkla

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Ovenstående er bl.a. udformet på baggrund af to branchemøder for selvstændige barejere og interesseorganisationer, som blev afholdt hhv. d. 21. august og d. 5. oktober 2020 på The Barking Dog i København, og hvor politikere var blevet inviteret til at deltage. Følgende barer, politikere og organisationer var repræsenteret på mødet:

The above petition has been constructed following two industry meetings for independent bar owners and industry organisations that took place on September 21st and October 5th, 2020, at The Barking Dog, Copenhagen, and in which Danish politicians had been invited to participate. The following bars, politicians and organisations where represented at the meeting:

Ruby
Brønnum
Lidkoeb
K-Bar
Balderdash
Gensyn (Frederiksberg & Amager)
Dispensary
Kester Thomas
Yellow
Duck & Cover
Sidecar
Puss Puss
Gamble
Strøm
Vang & Bar
Atze Peng
Citizen
Deco
Juuls Engros
Juuls Vin & Spiritus
Paloma
The Barking Dog
Gedulgt (Aarhus)
Mudhoney
The Flatiron
Conga
Horesta
Danmarks Restauranter og Caféer (DRC)
Danks BArtender Laug (DBL)
Martin Geertsen (V)
Lars Bech (V)

  

Miriam Gradel    Kontakt forfatteren af dette andragende