Restaurants to remain closed from April 4 to end of May

The government on Tuesday issued a decree restricting the operations of restaurants throughout the country, saying that all restaurants must be closed starting from April 4 Saturday until the end of May.

The restrictions apply to all restaurant operations, except for preparing food for take away and for delivery by food couriers, said an official press release.

The restrictions do not apply to canteens or restaurants that are essential for food supply, such as canteens in schools, hospitals and similar establishments, or personnel restaurants that serve in-house personnel only.

The government submitted the decree to the parliament for an ex post-examination. The parliament is scheduled to decide on the validity of the decree on Friday. The parliament may not change the content of the decree.