By Joanna Plucinska and Kuba Stezycki
WARSAW (Reuters) – Police visited Maciej Adamski’s restaurant north of the Polish capital 16 times in 10 days, saying he had to close the store because of coronavirus restrictions, but Adamski is not convinced that this is strictly correct .
Its restaurant, Qlturalni Qlinarni Q&Q, serves traditional Polish food, the walls adorned with guitars and other instruments.
“Don’t be afraid,” he told Reuters over lunch, surrounded by less than half a dozen customers. “Everyone (restaurants) must open because these restrictions are not applicable.
“… Either we open and survive or we all close. Everything we’ve worked for so many years will simply disappear.”
Poland eased some restrictions across the country on Monday, with malls authorized to open and gyms and restaurants banned from remaining closed.
But up to 20,000 restaurants are expected to open anyway, according to the Polish Chamber of Commerce Gastronomy, without sufficient financial support and lack of clarity on the application of the blocking laws.
Adamski condemned the police for breaking into a nightclub in the southern city of Rybnik over the weekend. They used tear gas and batons against customers, according to media reports, but he said he was not concerned about a similar action against him.
A police spokeswoman in Rybnik did not immediately respond to calls and SMS requests for comment.
To mitigate the impact of the pandemic, Poland launched a multi-billion dollar zloty support scheme for companies. But Adamski said the support did not last long.
“If it were like other countries in the European Union, we would calmly close and not worry about anything,” he said. “But today what we have is a tragedy.”
A government spokesman did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the financial support offered.
Gyms face a similar dilemma, with the Polish Fitness Federation arguing that the existing restrictions in Poland were confusing at first and therefore easy to get around.
“If the law is strange, sometimes in a funny way, sometimes in a way that is not clear, and we are able to operate within it, then we will do it,” said federation head Tomasz Napiorkowski.
He said that the federation will seek compensation from the government for the losses suffered and that many gyms will choose to continue operating with current health care.
Sebastian Twardowski, 27, wanted to make a point of eating at Qlturalni Qlinarni on Monday, arguing that restaurants needed all the help they could get and that he felt completely safe amid Adamski’s steps to ensure cleanliness and cleanliness. distancing.
“Here, the tables are far apart, everything is taken care of from a health point of view,” Twardowski told Reuters.
“I think I’m more afraid of going to the store than going to a restaurant.”
(Reporting by Joanna Plucinska and Kuba Stezycki)
Originally published