The Estonian Health Board has closed a café in Tallinn, which has repeatedly failed to comply with nationwide epidemiological restrictions. The firm has said it does not want to create a health dictatorship inside its premises, Estonian public broadcaster ERR reports.
At the centre of the issue, there is the catering company OÜ MEM Café. For some time now, this autumn, Estonia requires all restaurants to check their clients’ Covid-19 certificates and ID documents in order not to allow in clients, who have not been fully vaccinated or recovered from the disease.
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On Tuesday, November 30, the chief of the Estonian Police and Border Guard’s northern prefecture Joosep Kaasik announced: «The PPA visited MEM Café a total four times, and found a violations of government restrictions. Fines of €15,000 imposed so far did not affect the company. It has publicly refused to comply with the restrictions. The Health Board closed the café today to protect public health.»
MEM board member Elvis Brauer stayed defiant and said that the health of the café’s staff was good. «We don’t need to set up a health dictatorship in our café. I recognize what sport is; I recognize what food is. Our health is good. The health indicators of these ‘health officials’ and police officers are unlikely to look good, alongside ours,» the businessman noted. Interestingly, a legal aid support fund established on behalf of MEM Cafe has already received over EUR 50,000, ERR reports.
Tallinn café closed for defiance against checking clients’ certificates
