The “new normality” for owners of small businesses is turning out not to be the bed of roses that everyone hoped for. As owners of restaurants and hairdressers told our reporter, Karolina Bałdyga, many clients are still afraid to use their services because of the coronavirus threat, even though their businesses have been allowed to reopen.
Slowly, life is coming back to restaurants, hairdressers and pubs, although employees need some time to get used to the new reality and limitations. Restaurants must comply with the rule to keep one and a half metres between each table, all cutlery must be disposable, and all condiments such as sugar, salt and pepper, and decorative vases must be put away. Cooks and waiters must wear gloves and protective masks and all tables must be disinfected after the guests leave.
“It is hard to say how we are coping right now, as we’ve only been open since yesterday. There are still only a handful of guests coming. We are abiding by all the sanitary requirements, there are no tablecloths or other decorations, it is very bare. We have fewer tables and we disinfect them all the time. The guests are still learning how to behave, just as we are learning how to serve them, in this reality. It is definitely not as easy as it was, but we hope everything will get better with time and we are certainly on the right path”, commented an owner of a restaurant.
At hair salons most of the equipment has been changed for disposable, except for equipment that may be easily sterilised. Employees wear masks and gloves, and if the service allows for it, so does the client. The Ministry of Development has reminded everyone that the systematic lifting of restrictions does not mean that we shouldn’t be careful and abide by the sanitary rules and social distancing.