By Admin
Bars Owners Petition Parliament to Push Govt to Reopen there Business
Bar owners have petitioned parliament to push the government to lift a lockdown on their business as loans and rent arrears get to their necks. They pledged to enforce social distance in bars and other health guidelines to make bars safe against Covid-19
Under their umbrella body of Legit Bar, Entertainment and Restaurants Owners Association Uganda Limited, Bar owners handed over a petition to the speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga, challenging the continued Covid-19 lockdown on bars. They claim Covid-19 is here to stay and so the government should mitigate the pandemic control measures with survival. The group told the speaker that they are overwhelmed with bank loans, rent arrears on top of their products which are expiring.
The bar industry is estimated to employ over 5 million Ugandans directly and indirectly who have been ravaged by the lockdown.
Bar owners committed to working with the government to abide by the set Covid-19 guidelines and implement them in their outlets including social distance which seems to be hard to achieve in bars.
Singh Katongole the owner of Kati kati bar Lugogo, noted that they have accumulated much utility arrears during the lockdown and called on the government to intervene and find means of waiving these costs from bar owners.
The speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga on receiving the petition promised petitioners to forward their concerns to relevant authorities.
