Casablanca Restaurants Struggle to Reopen: 1,300 Remain Closed Due to Financial Strain

In addition to the multiple charges that cafe and restaurant owners have to face, their staff (affiliated with the CNSS) no longer benefit from the allowances of the Covid-19 fund which is 2,000 DH per month. Even those who have resumed their activities can no longer make ends meet. "The limitation of opening hours and the capacity of establishments to 50% are pushing many establishments to reduce their sails and get rid of their staff," explains Mohamed Abdelfadl, coordinator of the joint commission of food trades under a group of federations and associations in the sector, reports L’Économiste.

Aware of the difficulty of these establishments, the Directorate General of Local Authorities (DGCL) has just published a circular indicating that "any operator of the public domain (cafes, businesses, signs, etc.) will not pay these royalties, if he proves that he was in business interruption during the 2nd quarter and possibly the 3rd quarter of the current year".

Those who rent municipal property (weekly markets, swimming pools, parking lots, stores, etc.) are also covered by this exemption. Cafe and restaurant owners also benefit from "the exemption from the tax on beverage outlets" provided they prove the cessation of activity for the period concerned, the same source specifies.