Not Only Operating Hours, Employers Also Want Restaurant Customer Capacity To Be 80 Percent In Fasting Month

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JAKARTA - Governor of DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan will extend the operating hours of restaurants, cafes, malls to other public places during Ramadan this year.

This was welcomed by the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI). However, the easing of operating hours alone is not enough for them. PhRI Vice Chairman Emil Arifin asked the government to also loosen restrictions on the capacity of customers who eat on-site (dine in) from 50 percent to 80 percent.

"If you can, the capacity is up to 80 percent. Because, if the operating hours are extended, it is the same as lying," Emil told VOI, Monday, April 12.

Emil hopes the government understands. The revenue of restaurant, hotel, and mall entrepreneurs is still losing money. Hope that 2021 as a period of recovery, it is still a dream.

By 2020, the bitter pill should be swallowed by entrepreneurs because it only benefits 50 percent from normal times. Until finally, by the end of 2020 their income will rise by 10 percent. But, from January to April 2021, their profits stagnated at 60 percent.

"Actually we expect 2021 as a recovery year. It turns out that from January to April it's not too. Our first quarter was flat. We've been working for over a year not to make a profit, but how to cover losses," he complained.

After all, according to Emil, currently the government has managed to reduce the rate of new cases from before reached tens of thousands per day and currently around 5 thousand new cases per day.

"Now we see, it has been more than a year that the government already knows how, namely applying micro PPKM. From RT, RW, lurah, camat, they conduct control in their respective areas. It turned out to be effective," said Emil.

If 80 percent of a customer's capacity is met, what about the health protocol? Emil claims phri entrepreneurs can still manage the distance of customers.

"From the beginning we have given a limit on the dinner table. So, 80 percent capacity seems to be possible, that's it," he concluded.