AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat government has extended the night curfew in four major cities, citing the rising number of Covid cases, till March 31.
The curfew will be imposed in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot from 10pm to 6am, according to the state government officials.
The decision has once again struck the wrong chords with restaurant owners and traders as it will impact their business adversely.
"The restaurant industry has been bearing the brunt of the government’s curfew decision since the beginning. Barely at a time when the industry had begun to revive and hoped to recover its lost revenues, curfew timings were once again revised from 10pm onwards. With this, the industry will once again suffer in terms of revenues,” said Narendra Somani, president, Hotels and Restaurants' Association (HRA), Gujarat.
With 85% of restaurant business taking place in the evening, eateries and restaurants will see a dent in their revenues or else be dependent on takeaways.
Even traders are irked with the enforcement of curfew from 10pm onwards because it will only mean little business.
"The retail business has been adversely impacted due to the pandemic and several stores remained open till 10-10.30pm to get whatever little business they can. However, the curfew will once again compel shops to shut early on. Besides traders, restaurants and eateries will be adversely impacted,” said Jayendra Tanna, president, Gujarat Traders’ Federation (GTF).