Some Restaurants to Open on Feb 6, Despite the Gov't Ban

On Saturday, February 6, some restaurants will resume operations despite the still-imposed COVID restrictions.  Levan Qoqiashvili, the founder board director of the Gastronomic Association of Georgia, made a public post regarding the decision on Facebook.

"Unfortunately, the expectations of the hospitality industry were not met; instead of finding a reasonable solution, the meeting with the government officials was postponed and did not take place. Since we do not see any other solution, despite persistent efforts, we decided to open restaurants on Saturday, February 6th. We fully understand all aspects of our determination and it is not easy for us to make such a decision," writes Qoqiashvili.

It has been written in the media that about 200 restaurants have already joined the protest, and the details will be discussed and presumably publicly revealed on Wednesday.

For 2 months, after November 28, restaurants across Georgia have only been able to work with "delivery service", and hosting a guest on the spot will be fined 10,000 GEL. From February 1 (except weekends) Batumi restaurants have been allowed to host guests in open spaces.

By Nini Dakhundaridze