The restaurant and hospitality industry have been some of the hardest hit because of the national lockdown due to covid-19.
Almost daily there are online petitions to get some restaurants to be given essential services certification, which would allow them to operate.
Some have even suggested that restaurants operate on a take-away basis between 9am and 6pm.
It is interesting to note that there have been some social media conversations about eateries that have somehow secured essential services permits, allowing them to operate even though restaurants were deemed as not being essential.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/CityofCT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CityofCT @theCIPC what is this? pic.twitter.com/UaXPxYLr69
— Zema Nje(Nje is silent) (@ZemaSoks)
Cape Town's Coco Safar and The Lawns eateries apparently had essential services permits allowing them to operate during the lockdown. There was outrage on social media due to this and the legalities of their permits are currently being investigated.
While it’s a massive loss for many of these businesses and their staff during this time, the industry has also decided to share some positivity on social media. Chefs have all been sharing pictures of them at their places of work, and challenging others to also join in. It’s not just in South Africa - it’s a global trend.
“Challenge accepted: To all the chefs, join the challenge to post a photo of you in your chef uniform. Just a picture, no description. The goal is to flood social media with our profession.”
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/StayHome?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StayHome pic.twitter.com/KAzZfnZBOH
— Chef Fatima (@cheffatima_ng)
The trend that has also been done by those in the entertainment industry, where actors, directors, writers and presenters have shared pictures of themselves in their places of employment.
We are certain that the news of the extension of the lockdown has made things even more difficult for the industry. We are happy to see them still being able to share pictures of easier times.