Restaurateurs and bartenders: “And if some customers don’t want to show us what we have to do, throw them out by force?”
IVREA. The obligation from 6 August on the part of the owners of bars and restaurants to request the Green pass to those who want to have lunch, dinner or a drink while sitting inside the shop raises doubts and uncertainties among the Ivrea operators. “I’m not a public official and I don’t think I have an authority that would allow me to show this certification – says Savio Travaglia, owner of Caffè del Corso in corso d’Azeglio -. I downloaded the Verification C19 app. When the code is read to prove the authenticity of the Green pass, should I then ask for an identity document that certifies that the holder of the certificate matches the person who shows it to me? My restaurant does not have an outdoor area but only a few and well-spaced tables inside. My clientele is fairly steady and I am almost certain that almost all of them have been vaccinated. I have been confronted with a small minority who do not want to undergo the vaccine and I am worried because I would not like to have caused them to leave ». Travaglia concludes: “At this rate I fear that in the autumn there will be new limitations”.
Maria Grazia Barberi of the Piedmont Bar in Corso Botta goes back in time: «If we had all used common sense in this year and a half we would not be in these conditions. I believe that everyone is free to choose whether to get vaccinated or not as long as they are aware of the consequences. If they show me the green certification they can sit indoors, if they refuse they sit on the terrace because I don’t want to incur penalties ». Even Barberi has equipped itself with the app to read the QR of the passes. «It’s a bit slow but it seems to work» he says and closes with a joke and an omen: «I heard that they want to give an incentive of 1,000 euros to those who get vaccinated: then they should give 2,000 to those who have already undergone prophylaxis! Seriously I fear that in October we will be armored again ».
Tony Cuomo, in the outdoor area of his Aquila Nera pizza restaurant in Corso Nigra, manifests profound uncertainties. “We have not yet figured out how to operate correctly – he says -. What can I do if a customer refuses to show the Green pass? I am not a public official and therefore I do not feel authorized to insist. Also, to be sure that the pass shown to me really belongs to that person, I should ask for his identity card. And how should I behave with customers who are guests in the rooms, for which a certificate is not required, who use the restaurant service? ». Cuomo concludes with a reference to work planning: «Among the kitchen and dining room service staff I should hire staff but I don’t know what contract to offer them and with what prospects. I fear that in the autumn we will return to orange ».
At the Trattoria Monferrato in via Gariglietti, in the heart of the city, Maurizio Di Nuzzo expresses similar doubts: «The state of mind with which we face this task is very bad because they make us do the carabinieri». The restaurateur outlines a scenario: «And if some in a group are not vaccinated, what do we do? Do those with certification eat inside and those without outside? I fear that these further aggravations will help keep the public away from our premises at an already very difficult economic time. Usually this is the time of year when Swiss and French customers arrive: so far I have only served a couple of them a few nights ago ».