The owner of the English Pub in Reykjavik is suing the state for preventive measures, RÚV reports.
The owner is asking for damages and hope that the verdict in the case will set a precedent. A lawyer representing the pub has said that there is no justification for restaurants to be open but for bars to be closed.
A harsh winter for pub owners.
Bars and entertainment venues have just recently opened in Iceland and are allowed to stay open until 10pm. They had all previously been shut for the past four months.
Pub owners in Iceland have been unhappy over the winter after seeing restaurants open and able to take customers whilst bars stay shut because the do not serve food.
Unfair treatment.
The lawyer representing the English Pub’s owner, Auður Björg Jónsdóttir, has said, “There is no mention of an authorization to restrict freedom of employment or close down private companies.”
Auður went on to say that the government did not observe proportionality or respect the principle of non-discrimination in the constitution when closing bars but not restaurants and coffee shops.
In her closing statement, she said, “A pub that is just a pub was not allowed to be open, but a pub that had a license to sell coffee was allowed to be open. There is nothing that can justify this difference and there is nothing to say that the pub owner is not in the same position to maintain the same disease control rules as a traditional restaurant.”
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