ACE calls for stricter enforcement against ‘cowboys’ when restaurants reopen

The secretary of the Association of Catering Establishments (ACE), Matthew Pace, has called for stricter enforcement against wrongdoers once catering establishments reopen.

Last month government announced a number of new measures, including that of keeping catering establishments closed. It was the time when Malta reported a record-setting 510 cases of the virus. Almost one month later, the current situation has greatly improved as health authorities have reported daily Covid-19 cases below 100 for the past week.

It was also announced that these measures will remain in place until 11 April, and as a result this newsroom contacted ACE to get a better sense of what they are expecting considering the decrease in cases.

Pace said that “we are hoping that establishments will reopen, but more important than this is that we expect authorities to implement stricter enforcement on the wrongdoers.”

He added that “we still feel it wasn’t right that we were used as sacrificial lambs because of a few cowboys.”

“If proper action had been taken against certain well-known cowboys, they would not have closed us all down,” Pace said.

The association insisted that businesses should be informed at least a week in advance on what will happen before opening.