Reduced Covid fine for restaurant owner in Schlammestee

The administrative court agreed that the man's appeal against the Covid-19 fine he received from the Ministry of Health was at least partially justified. They reduced the amount from 4,000 to 3,300 euros.

During a check in late August, Dudelange police found that most of the restaurant's customers were standing in between tables, not wearing masks and partying. There were around 170 people on the restaurant's terrace, according to the manager. There was seating available for each of them, but not everyone had stayed in their allotted seat. Paulette Lenert fined the restaurant owner €4,000 for violating the Covid legislation dated 17 July. The man appealed this in early October at the administrative court.

In their decision, the judges sided with the Ministry's decision in that it was the responsibility of the restaurant owner to ensure their customers were seated at all times, and there had been no indication that the man had even attempted to get his customers to adhere to the rules in this instance. However, seeing as this restaurant had been checked 10 times previously with no infractions and the owner had been largely cooperative, they agreed to lower the fine to 3,300 euros.

A further €2,000 Covid fine for another establishment was halved by the court. In this case, police had found a man drinking at the bar standing up in early September, after a previous infraction had been found in early July. The courts decided, however, that a single customer did not warrant such a high fine and lowered it to 1,000 euros.