World News | Hungarian Cafe Mulls Civil Disobedience to Avoid Bankruptcy

Budapest, Feb 1 (AP) The owners of a family-run cafe in a leafy district of Hungary's capital had planned to engage in a bold act of civil disobedience on Monday, but reconsidered after the government there issued a decree that would throw the already struggling business into bankruptcy.

Before the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, the Kucko Coffeehouse in Budapest served fine coffees from its designer Italian espresso machine and a cozy atmosphere offering pastries, sandwiches, ice cream, and breakfasts to mostly local residents.

Like many small businesses, it struggled to stay afloat as Hungary's pandemic restrictions limited bars and restaurants to takeout, and was forced to dismiss all but one of its six employees.

But as bankruptcy threatened, the owners, married couple Olga Miskolci and Attila Blaho, decided not to take it sitting down: On Monday, the couple planned to join as many as 200 other businesses across Hungary in opening their doors to dine-in guests in defiance of pandemic rules.

But a government decree issued on Saturday stiffened penalties for restaurants breaking the restrictions, which Blaho said represented “a clear threat” on the part of the government, which his business couldn't afford to confront.

“We would have been very happy to line up (for opening) if we were just risking a plain fine," Blaho said. “We need to give voice to the idea that we will not tolerate this anymore.

"But now it's not just a fine — it's about taking our business away from us for six months or even a year. This is a very difficult fight, and a one-sided show of strength.”

Police may now require businesses breaking pandemic rules to close their doors for six months to a year and can issue hefty fines of between USD 4,000 and UD 17,000, penalties that dissuaded other businesses as well from following through on their plans to reopen. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)