Is a mandatory vaccine restaurant policy viable in Bangladesh?
Restaurant owners say that since 100% vaccination has not yet been completed in the country, implementing such a decision in this situation is challenging and, in some cases, unrealistic
People purchase various food items for Iftar from Star Hotel and Kabab restaurant at the Banani area in Dhaka Mehedi Hasan
Publish : 06 Jan 2022, 08:17 PMUpdate : 07 Jan 2022, 02:31 PM
Restaurant owners say that the government directive on not going to restaurants without vaccination will be challenging to implement right now, especially since 100% vaccination has not yet been completed in the country.
Implementing such a decision in this situation is challenging and, in some cases, unrealistic, they said.
Such a decision to prevent the spread of the coronavirus is very timely and logical, but Bangladesh is not yet ready to implement it, according to restaurateurs.
Talking to Dhaka Tribune, Kamrul Hasan Chowdhury, owner of Nawabi Voj, said everything is open again and people are back to their normal lives more or less. “Vaccination has not yet been completed at 100%. Other health directives can be maintained strictly, but this one will be challenging.”
He also said that this will discourage people from going to restaurants, which will hit the emerging sector hard once again and make it difficult for owners and employees to stay in business.
Currently, the restaurant sector is one of the biggest growing sectors in the country which also creates business for other sectors of the country like agriculture, dairy, fish and meat farms, and packaging.
“If restaurants close again, then millions of employees involved directly or indirectly with this sector will all fall upon hard times again,” Chowdhury further said.
Mizanur Rahman, owner of Bangla Restora, told Dhaka Tribune that it is almost impossible to implement the policy.
“Many have been vaccinated with one dose, they do not have a certificate, what will they do? Again, not all school and college students have been vaccinated yet, so what will they do to eat during their school hours?” he questioned. “This decision should be reconsidered as it will be very difficult to implement.”
Tasnia Nazneen, a university student from Dhanmondi, said that many of her classmates have not yet been vaccinated and even she has received only one dose.
“We often sit at different restaurants on Sat Masjid Road between our classes. So, do we not eat until the vaccination? Vaccination is also a long process. Now is not the right time to make such a decision,” she added.
Syed Mohammad Andalib, organizing secretary of the Bangladesh Restaurant Owners Association (BROA), said the directive to prevent people from entering the restaurant without vaccination card is a very good initiative, but first they have to think whether Bangladesh is ready for it or not.
“This is good for countries where 100% vaccination has been done. But we have not been able to achieve it here yet. Then implementing the decision here would be very challenging,” he added.
So far, about 50 million people have been vaccinated, leaving about 120 million more.
“So, doesn't everyone else have the basic right to eat at a restaurant? The government should ensure 100% vaccination before implementing this decision. Until then, they should emphasize on getting people to comply with other health guidelines,” he added.
The restaurant sector has almost collapsed in the last two years. There has been a revival since the middle of last year.
“Such a challenging decision in this situation will hamper the process of turning around one of the most promising sectors of the country,” Andalib said.
He also said that the high end restaurants can easily maintain the decision as they have such capacity.
“However, it is impossible for general restaurants to comply, as they have too many customers, and 65-70% of the restaurants in the country are these general restaurants,” the restaurateur added.
According to the BROA, there are currently about 60,000 restaurants across the country, with more than 8,000 in the capital alone.
Nearly three million people depend directly on the restaurant industry for their livelihoods, while the number is several times higher if it includes the supporting sectors.
Is a mandatory vaccine restaurant policy viable in Bangladesh?
Restaurant owners say that since 100% vaccination has not yet been completed in the country, implementing such a decision in this situation is challenging and, in some cases, unrealistic
Restaurant owners say that the government directive on not going to restaurants without vaccination will be challenging to implement right now, especially since 100% vaccination has not yet been completed in the country.
Implementing such a decision in this situation is challenging and, in some cases, unrealistic, they said.
Such a decision to prevent the spread of the coronavirus is very timely and logical, but Bangladesh is not yet ready to implement it, according to restaurateurs.
Talking to Dhaka Tribune, Kamrul Hasan Chowdhury, owner of Nawabi Voj, said everything is open again and people are back to their normal lives more or less. “Vaccination has not yet been completed at 100%. Other health directives can be maintained strictly, but this one will be challenging.”
He also said that this will discourage people from going to restaurants, which will hit the emerging sector hard once again and make it difficult for owners and employees to stay in business.
Currently, the restaurant sector is one of the biggest growing sectors in the country which also creates business for other sectors of the country like agriculture, dairy, fish and meat farms, and packaging.
“If restaurants close again, then millions of employees involved directly or indirectly with this sector will all fall upon hard times again,” Chowdhury further said.
Mizanur Rahman, owner of Bangla Restora, told Dhaka Tribune that it is almost impossible to implement the policy.
“Many have been vaccinated with one dose, they do not have a certificate, what will they do? Again, not all school and college students have been vaccinated yet, so what will they do to eat during their school hours?” he questioned. “This decision should be reconsidered as it will be very difficult to implement.”
Tasnia Nazneen, a university student from Dhanmondi, said that many of her classmates have not yet been vaccinated and even she has received only one dose.
“We often sit at different restaurants on Sat Masjid Road between our classes. So, do we not eat until the vaccination? Vaccination is also a long process. Now is not the right time to make such a decision,” she added.
Syed Mohammad Andalib, organizing secretary of the Bangladesh Restaurant Owners Association (BROA), said the directive to prevent people from entering the restaurant without vaccination card is a very good initiative, but first they have to think whether Bangladesh is ready for it or not.
“This is good for countries where 100% vaccination has been done. But we have not been able to achieve it here yet. Then implementing the decision here would be very challenging,” he added.
So far, about 50 million people have been vaccinated, leaving about 120 million more.
“So, doesn't everyone else have the basic right to eat at a restaurant? The government should ensure 100% vaccination before implementing this decision. Until then, they should emphasize on getting people to comply with other health guidelines,” he added.
The restaurant sector has almost collapsed in the last two years. There has been a revival since the middle of last year.
“Such a challenging decision in this situation will hamper the process of turning around one of the most promising sectors of the country,” Andalib said.
He also said that the high end restaurants can easily maintain the decision as they have such capacity.
“However, it is impossible for general restaurants to comply, as they have too many customers, and 65-70% of the restaurants in the country are these general restaurants,” the restaurateur added.
According to the BROA, there are currently about 60,000 restaurants across the country, with more than 8,000 in the capital alone.
Nearly three million people depend directly on the restaurant industry for their livelihoods, while the number is several times higher if it includes the supporting sectors.
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