Businesses call for state assistance, say they can't survive new measures

Kosovo government has imposed restrictions as part of new anti measures CO VID-19, which has entered into force from last Friday and will remain in force until another upcoming decision depending on the situation on the ground.

Part of these measures is the ban on gastronomy after 1600 because of the widespread new cases of coronary activity, thus causing much of the municipalities, including Pristina, to be placed under the restriction regime of citizens until 05 a.m.

Businesses in the capital warn that if it continues with the new measures and the state will not be able to help pay rent or 50 percent of the workers' salary, they will be forced to dismiss workers and put the key to businesses.

The manager of a restaurant in Pristina, Mentor Berisha, in a proposal, measures for restrictions on motion and gastronomy work call them urgent and hope in state aid, as he says, only in September and early October have worked full-time.

“are a little pressing, and I hope the number will fall. It's Pandem, we understand this, but to see what measures the government will take for business and come to our aid, because all summer we've been closed, only in September, and the beginning of October has been full-time and we've had the right to work inside, which is that we've almost never worked full-time since June until today, said Berisha.

He warns that if current measures continue to remain in force indefinitely, then as businesses will have the opportunity to operate unless they receive financial support from the state.

With these measures it is impossible to continue working with the actual capacity of workers. It has to go almost half the staff and we have to work with half the staff. Maybe a month we can postpone it, but in December with these measures, if there is no subsidy, there is no support, we will be forced to close. Now we're working on about 20 people, and we've usually worked even harder, but pandemic causes have had to reduce the number of workers. [...] Our requests to the government are clear and simple, subvention, closure, no, but if it's pandemic, we're in a state of pandemic, we understand that... If there is closure and no subsidies, how will we survive? Actually, it's impossible”, Berisha has said.

Even the owner of another centrally owned club, Salih Mehani calls government measures an inadequate solution to fighting pandemic, while urging the country's institutions to adopt business-friendly laws as they are working with only 20 percent of their labour capacity.

“Shutting down is not the solution to the problem, without conveying measures for economic recovery. Without helping businesses, if the s'hi help businesses, the closure is fatal for the economy and private businesses. [...] Compared to last year, the damage is huge. The loss of work is 70 to 80 percent. [...] The demands are on the Parliament and Government pass laws that are good for private businesses since Government and Parliament receive wages every month, while we are working with 20 percent of capacity and are obliged to get workers out of work”, Mehan said.

The owner of another restaurant, Mentor Mehmeti, says they have halved the staff's share because of reducing gastronomial work hours as part of new anti measures. CO VID-19.

He said that if the measures in power are not taken in a short time, then it will come to the complete closure of businesses in the inability of financial support.

It would be better to take distance, disinfectant measures because it's hurting us a lot because the schedule is short and the workers' capacity is halved and the work is down. Video: 0:54. There's a 50 percent job down, costs are huge, workers have to go. [...] It can come to the conclusion of the business, that we can't get out, we have expenses, it's the workers, and it's the problem that no business in Kosovo has the resources to survive for 2-3 months”, Mehmeti has said.

Mehmeti says the Government of Kosovo should help businesses as little as in workers' salaries and cover the rent, otherwise they will be forced to close businesses.