PRISTINA – A downtown restaurant in Kosovo’s capital filled its tables with mannequins Friday in a symbolic protest of the government’s decision to close eateries for two weeks in response to a surge of COVID-19 cases.
Petrit Kllokoqi, owner of Bagolina in Pristina, brought in the mannequins at breakfast and lunchtime. “The government has not shown us any evidence that gastronomy is causing the surge,” Kllokoqi said.
The Kosovo government decided earlier this week to close all restaurants during April 7-18. The order affects about 4,000 restaurants and cafes with some 14,000 employees.
Kosovo's gross domestic product fell 4.4% last year due to the pandemic, according to preliminary reports from the government and international institutions.