By George Psyllides
RESTAURANT and bar owners yesterday accused police of imposing a curfew through their new crackdown on establishments staying open beyond legal hours.
The police crackdown on restaurants and nightclubs to enforce has caused owners to cry foul, saying their business is suffering as a result.
The latest move started last Friday, after around a year of peace between the two sides.
Owners of establishments were notified that they should be closing by 3am and that police would be carrying out rigorous checks.
Despite the majority of establishments obeying the law, their association has reacted, requesting for the issue to be studied anew.
According to the law, between October 1 and April 30, restaurants, taverns, pubs, bars, cafes, pizza joints and snack bars, with music or not, can be open from 7am to 2am Sunday to Thursday. On Fridays and Saturdays, establishments can remain open until 3am.
Clubs, cabarets and similar venues can be open from 8pm to 2am from Monday to Wednesday and from 8pm to 3am on Fridays and Saturdays.
One member of the association, Andreas Constantinides, told the Cyprus Mail that the government was effectively imposing a curfew, forcing everyone to go home by 2am.
“The world is advancing and we are going backwards,” he said.
Constantinides said his association wanted the government to rethink the law and apply something along the lines of what is in force in Greece.
In Greece, Constantinides said, places are open on weekdays until 3-3.30am, giving customers 30 minutes to to leave. On Fridays and Saturdays they are allowed to be open until 4am, again with 30 minutes extra time for punters to get out.
Constantinides added that restaurants should be allowed to remain open 24 hours, without of course serving alcohol beyond a certain time.
He said the association would try and change things and was optimistic it would succeed, especially after Cyprus has joined the European Union.
Constantinides stressed that the association was not against the implementation of the law, noting, however, that it should be enforced across the board and adding he was not sure it was being enforced in all districts.
Those who violate the law can face up to a £500 fine or imprisonment of up to six months, or both.
The stiff penalties were deemed necessary, since the old system of small on the spot fines proved inadequate to prevent owners from staying open beyond the set times.
