BAR, NIGHT CLUB OWNERS CRY FOUL

GOVERNMENThas been challenged to give proper guidance on operating hours for restaurants that also have liquor licences.

Bars and Night Clubs Owners Association of Zambia charged that a good number of restaurant owners who also had liquor licences were operating beyond stipulated the hours.

Recently, Health Minister, Chitalu Chilufya, expressed concern that some bars and night clubs were not adhering to the covid-19 guidelines, among others, operating beyond stipulated hours.

The association secretary general, Mr Edmond Lifwekelo, complained that some sections of society deemed bars and night clubs owners to be non-compliant with the hours if operation when there was a different story on the ground he was speaking in an interview in Kitwe.

"Before bars were allowed to open, restaurants that have liquor licences were allowed to sell liquor provided it came with a meal and these are the people operating beyond stipulated hours because they do not have a clear time to close their premises.

"Proper guidance on this matter before re-opening the facilities would have helped," he said.

Recently, President Edgar Lungu announced that bars and night clubs would be operating on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 18:00 to 22:00 hours.

Mr Lifwekelo said there was urgent need for councils countrywide to sit down and see how best the matter could be resolved.

He said it was not too late to have the matter resolved, stating that failure to do so would breed misunderstanding on the matter.

Mr Lifwekelo meanwhile called on Government to consider increasing the hours of operation for bars and night clubs, considering that the cases of Covid-19 were declining.

"In as much as we appreciate that the facilities were opened, we need more hours to help our members recover the monies they lost in the past few months that their facilities were closed," Mr Lifwekelo said.