Coronavirus: Lithuanian capital to be turned into huge open-air restaurant to allow social distancing
City authorities open up historic public spaces and give €400,000 in restaurant vouchers to medical workers as lockdown lifts
Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, is to turn over many of its streets and open spaces to bars, restaurants and cafés to allow the catering industry to return to work, while people can maintain social distancing to help avoid the spread of Covid-19.
Many of the city’s public spaces – which until now have rarely been used for outdoor eating, such as the city’s Cathedral Square in the Unesco-listed Old Town – are now open to support the city’s restaurants.
The announcement was made on Friday, and by Monday morning 162 business had applied to take advantage of the scheme.
Lithuania has already begun to lift some of its lockdown measures. The country has recorded a total of 1,344 cases of the coronavirus and 44 deaths so far.
Many shops, cafés, and other businesses began to reopen this week but with social distancing measures still in place.
The plan to give greater space to catering businesses was reportedly greeted as a “lifesaver”, the city authorities said, as restaurants and cafes had been left with just two options to earn money and keep jobs: by providing takeaway food or by limiting customers indoors and outdoors due to restricted space.
However, this had still left many establishments unable to operate at all. Vilnius’s extensive medieval Old Town has narrow streets and alleys where space is already at a premium.
Under the rules in Lithuania, outdoor cafés are only allowed to operate if they ensure a 1-metre distance to pedestrian ways and a 2-metre distance between customers sitting at different tables. For some this was impossible indoors, and many had no outside space in which they could serve customers.
Mayor of Vilnius, Remigijus Šimašius, said: “The activity is very high, which shows that catering establishments see this opportunity as efficient and essential to the survival of their business.”
“Plazas, squares, and streets – nearby cafés will be able to set up outdoor tables free of charge this season and thus conduct their activities during quarantine.
“Just open up, work, retain jobs and keep Vilnius alive,” he said the day after the government announced the easing of quarantine restrictions.
“Of course, the top priority remains safety for all,” he added.
Applications to use public outdoor space will be divided into three categories and the first permits will be issued “to those establishments which would not require changes in pedestrian movement and road traffic,” the Vilnius City Municipality said.
The support package for catering businesses also stipulates that outdoor cafés will be exempt from charges for the duration of 2020.
Evada Šiškauskienė, the head of the Lithuanian Association of Hotels and Restaurants, said: “Vilnius’ offer to help our cafés and restaurants came just in time.
“This additional space will help them accommodate more visitors and bring life back to the city streets without violating security requirements.”
Furthermore, in celebration of Lithuania’s “National Day of Medical Workers”, which apparently takes place on 27 April, the municipality said it is thanking its medical staff by giving them some €400,000 worth of restaurant vouchers, which they can use at restaurants across the city.
Comments
Share your thoughts and debate the big issues
Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.
Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.
Follow comments
Vote
Report Comment
Subscribe to Independent Premium to debate the big issues
Want to discuss real-world problems, be involved in the most engaging discussions and hear from the journalists? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Already registered? Log inReport Comment
Delete Comment
About The Independent commenting
Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment.
The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates.