New Delhi: The Western state of Maharashtra on Sunday took to stringent measures to curb the spread of covid-19—the state moved to impose a night curfew, announced weekend lockdowns, and said that malls, restaurants, bars will be allowed to operate only for takeaways and parcels. The fresh restrictions will be imposed till April 30, state officials said, as fresh cases in the state topped 57,000 in the last 24-hours.
The new measures will come into effect Monday (8 pm) and are expected to remain in place till 30 April.
Premium 
Premium "Apart from the weekend lockdown, strict restrictions will be in force from 8 pm tomorrow, under which shopping malls, bars, restaurants, small shops will be open only for take-aways and parcels. Government offices will be allowed to function only at 50 per cent of their capacity," according to a news report by PTI citing Nawab Malik, minority Affairs Minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik.
The night curfew will start 8 pm Monday and ending at 7 am; while the weekend lockdown will be imposed from Friday 8 pm to Monday 7 am.
Restaurant owners and associations said the move will have a devastating effect on the industry that already saw a severe slump last year. The restaurant sector saw smaller players being wiped out as India imposed strict curbs last year and consumers remained wary of returning to crowded places. Restaurant were also directed to operate at 50% capacity.
“Today is nothing but a black day for the industry as measures to fight the pandemic is turning out to be far more hard-hitting than the pandemic. With this decision, as far as our industry is concerned, the state government has driven in the last nail into the coffin. The industry which generates employment and is source of income to lakhs, cannot survive this time as we cannot pay staff salaries, license fees, meet operational expenses etc with mere home delivery and takeaways. We fail to understand why hotel and restaurant industry is targeted every-time, when there is no empirical evidence to prove that corona is emanating from the above-mentioned places, or it is rampantly spreading only during the evening," Shivanand Shetty, President, Association of Hotels and Restaurants (AHAR) said in a statement.
Meanwhile, religious places, gyms, amusement parks, parks, playgrounds, indoor sports complexes, beaches and salons will remain closed, according to a report by The Indian Express. The government has also asked public transport to operate at 50% capacity. Government offices will operate with 50% capacity, while private offices have been told to switch to work from home. E-Commerce operations will continue within the state.
Premium Premium 
Premium Premium National Restaurant Association of India’s (NRAI) president Anurag Katriar took to social media platform Twitter seeking compensation for restrictions.
“We were shut for most part of last year. We have been operating at 50% and restricted hours since then. We somehow survived so far but now we can’t," he said. Katriar added, “…we are staring (at) death and need some urgent oxygen. Either allow us to operate normal hours with safeguards and protocols…Or shut us down completely and compensate us, our employees, suppliers & landlords suitably. Dear Government, you are a critical stakeholder in our trade and also the sole decision-maker so we leave this to your collective wisdom," he said.
"It's not worth our while to keep the places open for just limited hours of delivery," Katriar told Mint. The move will be taxing for entrepreneurs in the sector, he added.
Click here to read the Mint ePaperMint is now on Telegram. Join Mint channel in your Telegram and stay updated with the latest business news.
