The association also demanded that the Sunday restriction on hotels and restaurants be lifted. (Representational Image) The hospitality industry in Punjab has reacted sharply to the fresh restrictions imposed in view of the surge in Covid cases saying the curbs would sound their death knell. The Punjab Hotel and Restaurant Association asked asked the government to focus on vaccination instead of imposing restrictions.
“The restrictions, including night curfew from 9pm, will kill our business. Moreover, government is allowing only 20 persons in wedding halls compared to 50 per cent strength in movie halls. With night curfew, the restaurant industry would be hardly able to do any business as people normally come out for dinner only after 9pm. We are still recovering from the shutdown. We won’t be able to bear the loss now,” said Amarveer Singh, president of the association.
Amarveer was talking to the Indian Express after a meeting ofg the association in Ludhiana. There are more than 25,000 hotels and
restaurants in Punjab.
He said that because of the cap on social gatherings, most of the social functions planned for the coming weeks have been cancelled in Punjab and a number of people have shifted their venue to Panchkula or Shimla.
“Punjab’s loss is Haryana and Himachal’s gain. We want the government to focus on vaccination rather than killing our business. Last year too, the hotel industry was the first one to be closed and was the last one to be opened. We are always a soft target,” Amarveer Singh said, adding the industry was ready to get its entire staff vaccinated.
The association, he said, wants the night curfew lifted and the party halls, hotels wedding resorts and restaurants be allowed to operate at 50 per cent of capacity. The association also demanded that the Sunday restriction on hotels and restaurants be lifted.
“Factories have been allowed to work 24X7 in shifts, so why restrictions on us? We are a service providing industry and many other industries are connected to us ,” he added.