Bar owners to know fate on Friday
TUYEIMO HAIDULA
OSHAKATI
Bar owners and other people in the liquor trade in northern Namibia will know by the end of week whether the government will relax the Covid-19 regulation prohibiting alcohol sales on weekends.
Business people from Oshana, Oshikoto, Omusati and Ohangwena, under the leadership of Oshana governor Elia Irimari, met with several government ministers on Friday.
The group pleaded with health minister Kalumbi Shangula, home affairs minister Albert Kawana, environment minister Pohamba Shifeta and police chief Sebastian Ndeitunga to lift the restrictions on alcohol sales.
The former chairman of the Ongwediva branch of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Veikko Haimbodi, asked the government to remove the Covid-19 regulations as they are hindering business operations.
Haimbodi said the coronavirus pandemic has been disrupting business for over a year and while they hoped to recover from the setback, the curfew introduced to curb the spread of the virus was not helping the situation.
Haimbodi pleaded with the government to allow bars to resume business on Sundays.
Feedback
Trade minister Lucia Iipumbu said their concerns would be deliberated in Cabinet and they could expect feedback by Friday.
Iipumbu also used the platform to urge business owners to be organised in raising their grievances with the government, especially with issues coming from the regions, as that would streamline communication.
A week ago, the Oshakati group handed over a petition to Irimari in which they demanded to be allowed to sell alcohol for onsite consumption from Mondays to Saturdays between 10:00 and 21:00 and on Sundays from 14:00 to 20:00.
The current health regulations allow bars and shebeens to sell alcohol on a takeaway basis from Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 18:00.
Haimbodi on Monday said they were hopeful that the leaders would listen to them so that they could save their businesses.
He maintained that selling alcohol on takeaway basis is for populated countries and Namibia cannot successfully implement that system.
[email protected]
OSHAKATI
Bar owners and other people in the liquor trade in northern Namibia will know by the end of week whether the government will relax the Covid-19 regulation prohibiting alcohol sales on weekends.
Business people from Oshana, Oshikoto, Omusati and Ohangwena, under the leadership of Oshana governor Elia Irimari, met with several government ministers on Friday.
The group pleaded with health minister Kalumbi Shangula, home affairs minister Albert Kawana, environment minister Pohamba Shifeta and police chief Sebastian Ndeitunga to lift the restrictions on alcohol sales.
The former chairman of the Ongwediva branch of the Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Veikko Haimbodi, asked the government to remove the Covid-19 regulations as they are hindering business operations.
Haimbodi said the coronavirus pandemic has been disrupting business for over a year and while they hoped to recover from the setback, the curfew introduced to curb the spread of the virus was not helping the situation.
Haimbodi pleaded with the government to allow bars to resume business on Sundays.
Feedback
Trade minister Lucia Iipumbu said their concerns would be deliberated in Cabinet and they could expect feedback by Friday.
Iipumbu also used the platform to urge business owners to be organised in raising their grievances with the government, especially with issues coming from the regions, as that would streamline communication.
A week ago, the Oshakati group handed over a petition to Irimari in which they demanded to be allowed to sell alcohol for onsite consumption from Mondays to Saturdays between 10:00 and 21:00 and on Sundays from 14:00 to 20:00.
The current health regulations allow bars and shebeens to sell alcohol on a takeaway basis from Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 18:00.
Haimbodi on Monday said they were hopeful that the leaders would listen to them so that they could save their businesses.
He maintained that selling alcohol on takeaway basis is for populated countries and Namibia cannot successfully implement that system.
[email protected]
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