By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

Furious Arawak Cay restaurant owners yesterday questioned why they were being singled out as the only location where customers are not allowed to dine inside, arguing: “A restaurant is a restaurant.”

Rodney Russell, president of the Arawak Cay Conch, Fish, Vegetables And Food Vendors Association, questioned why the Prime Minister would announce that all other restaurants are permitted to open at 50 percent capacity with effect from yesterday but not his members.

He told Tribune Business: “We practice social distances. We have made adjustments in our places so we can practice social distancing; we have put away some of our tables and chairs where we will only have a few persons inside. I don’t understand the disparity between dining in Arawak Cay and dining any place else?

“I’ve read the document where persons are allowed in restaurants to dine, but what makes the difference with Arawak Cay? It’s the same dining experience as a restaurant, it’s the same dining going on, and so what is the difference? Why does Arawak Cay make a difference in dining? Because it sounds as though the Prime Minister is making Arawak Cay to be irresponsible and every other restaurant in the country is responsible.”

Dr Minnis, during his contribution to the 2020-2021 budget debate, specifically singled out Arawak Cay vendors as being allowed to continue outdoor dining - but not the indoor variety - at this time. He added that indoor dining will now be allowed at all other restaurants subject to the necessary physical distancing requirements, but the maximum seating will be based either on 50 percent occupancy or 30 square feet per person.

“These are responsible business people,” said Mr Russell of his members. “I don’t know why the prime minister is saying Arawak Cay is irresponsible and everybody else is responsible. It shows the disparity between the business people because you are in Arawak Cay and the people on the outside.

“If you take these same business people and have their businesses outside they can function, but if you come to Arawak Cay, it can’t function on the inside. So why is Arawak Cay punished every time?”

Questioning why the same rules cannot apply to everybody across the board, Mr Russell asked: “Why is Arawak Cay being called out every time? Who is advising the Prime Minister that dining in Arawak Cay, and dining outside of Arawak Cay, are two different types of dining?”

“On the other hand the prime minister is saying that you are only allowed to dine on the outside, but the reason I believe is that the restaurants he is trying to appease don’t have adequate space on the outside. So he is saying that hey, Arawak Cay, I will still give you the outside but you all can’t go inside. But for the other persons who don’t have the capacity to dine outside, they can dine inside. This doesn’t make any sense to me.”

Mr Russell continued: “Make it one thing across the board. If you are going to give restaurants an opportunity to dine inside and practice social distances, then you should not be excluding Arawak Cay, because a restaurant is a restaurant. Their license says restaurant and bar, so why is it that all of us can open up and operate, but all of us don’t have outside facilities?

“It isn’t fair what you are doing to the people at Arawak Cay. The same responsibility that the persons in the various restaurants have is the same responsibility here on Arawak Cay for the persons that have their restaurants. So there shouldn’t be any disparity.”

“I’ve noticed that the prime minister has extended opening hours to 8pm. We were closing at 7pm and he has extended now to the hour of 8pm. We appreciate the fact that we can be open an hour later, which we appreciate. But he needs to be more explicit in his reasoning why restaurants on Arawak Cay are different from the restaurants outside of Arawak Cay. There is no difference. A restaurant is a restaurant.”