Maharashtra eases Covid-19 curbs further, no new relaxations for Mumbai

Representational Image | File Pic

Maharashtra government, on Wednesday, allowed hotels and restaurants to remain open till 10pm. However, to the dismay of the hoteliers and restaurateurs of Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is yet to make a decision on extending the timings of hotels and restaurants of the city. Unless there are clear instructions from the civic body, the restaurants cannot operate till 10 pm.

While last week, the BMC allowed restaurants and hotels to operate on all days of the week till 4 pm after almost three months and disallowed malls to operate despite the government allowing them to operate in several other cities of the state; it is yet to issue a circular for relaxation to the hotels and restaurants.

Reportedly, the civic body is expected to take a few more days to come to a decision. However, sources reveal that there are chances that the authorities may not come to a decision any time soon.

Also Read: Maharashtra: Malls, restaurants to operate till 10 pm from August 15, check SOPs

The weekend resumption of restaurants saw huge turnout of citizens who stood outside eateries waiting for their tables. Therefore, the civic body and local authorities want to be cautious in deciding their further course of action. This means that hotels and restaurants in the city will continue to operate as per the previous guidelines. The additional municipal commissioner, Suresh Kakani confirmed that no relaxations are being issued today (on Wednesday).

Vote of thanks for the state government by the associations

Shivanand Shetty, President, AHAR said, "We are happy to be granted the time extension till 10 pm hours and welcome this step. We have been having regular discussions and meetings with the CM and other elected representatives for relaxing our operational timings and this announcement has brought a smile on the faces of those associated with this beleaguered industry."

He continued, "We have asked our members to maintain high standards of hygiene and co-operate with the concerned authorities. Seeing the decreasing number of Covid cases we are optimistic that the administration will do away with all restrictions soon and things will be back to normal."

Sherry Bhatia, President, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) said, "The hospitality industry thanks Uddhav Thackeray, the government authorities and the Covid-19 Task Force for easing the restrictions. Restaurants will now be able to make some business which was just impossible while operating until 4 pm. The industry, including owners and people employed in it, has suffered for over sixteen months of income deprivation. We were hoping that since restaurants continue to operate at only 50 per cent capacity, the government could have allowed us to remain open till midnight. However, the CM has kept his promise, and we welcome this move and expect more easing of restrictions shortly."

He also said, "While restaurants are eager to invite their patrons back to their favourite restaurants, we also remain committed to serving them in the safest of environments. The industry assures the government that it will continue to follow all the SOPs and Covid-19 safety protocols stringently."