Will face huge loss due to night curfew, govt should have discussed it with us: Restaurant owners in Delhi
New Delhi, December 28, 2021 (ANI): Delhi's Restaurant owners on Monday expressed their concern over the night curfew imposed in the national capital in view of rising COVID-19 cases and said that they will face a huge loss because this is the peak time of their business, adding the government should have discussed it with them.
Speaking to ANI, Dhruv, owner of Chido restaurant said, "We will face huge loss due to this night curfew because our peak business hours are 11 pm to 2 am and the new year is also coming. We have planned a huge party with a live band but all went in vain. We are already allowing a 50 per cent crowd here." "I know the virus is dangerous but the government should have discussed with us before imposing this night curfew. We could have dealt with it in a better way," he said.
Anuj Rana, owner of Unwind restaurant said, "It will affect us a lot because most of the people come here in the evening. The night curfew will indirectly affect employment because if we do not have sales, then they will lose their jobs. Basically, the hospitality industry will be affected badly."
"Considering that we have already gone through two national lockdowns, we were already following all the safety norms by running on 50 per cent occupancy and taking all the necessary precautions. We will cooperate with the government's decision to impose the night curfew," said Vikrant Batra, Founder of Cafe Delhi Heights and Dhansoo Cafe.
"However, our last order slot is 10:30 pm so that the operations can wind up by 11 which is why, curtailed business hours will only increase the day crowd especially at places like malls, etc. This is what brings us back to square as if the day footfall won't affect the masses' safety," Batra said.
Batra said, "We are still in the process of understanding the impact of Omicron. We expect support from our authorities in any way possible since the hospitality industries are the first ones to get affected and the last ones to get relief."
As Delhi continues to witness a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, a night curfew from 11 pm to 5 am has been imposed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led government in the national capital from Monday. (ANI)