January 16, 2022 2:58:55 pm
Malls are feeling the impact of the third wave. (File) “More than the lockdown, unlocking is a bigger issue as we (gyms) are not only the first ones to be shut down, but also the last ones to be allowed to re-open,” said Prakash Joshi, manager of Reshape Fitness. Joshi, however, is glad that, unlike the first and second waves, this time the gyms have been allowed to operate. “During the first lockdown, gyms were closed for eight months. Again, we had to close for two months,” he said.
Tejas Lahane, sales executive of Dotfit Fitness, said that though his gym has 450 members, only 200 are coming to the centre on a daily basis. Owing to this, the centre had to reduce the number of trainers by half. The ongoing third wave and the latest guidelines of the Maharashtra government allowing gyms, restaurants and malls to run at 50 per cent capacity are beginning to show their impact across the sector, said the owner of a gym.
Lahane, while talking about the impact Covid-19 has had on his business, said, “Before the pandemic, our monthly average income was Rs 9-10 lakh. We paid the rent, electricity bills, and salaries of our staff, among others, from this income. However, after the pandemic, while there has been no remarkable drop in electricity bills, our income has fallen to Rs 4-5 lakh per month. I am not even able to cover expenses for maintenance work nowadays, because of which the salaries of the staff are getting delayed.”
Similar sentiments were echoed by Michael Jacob, manager of Sky Fitness and Wellness, whose monthly business has gone down from Rs 12-14 lakh to just Rs 3-4 lakh. And after the beginning of the third wave, some of his customers have even requested cancellation of membership. “I am hoping the government will encourage people to exercise more so that they can become healthy and stronger,” Jacob said.
The owner of Terrasinne restaurant, Dr Sonam Kapse, said that it often becomes difficult to keep a track of the 50 per cent count. She added that a few restaurants have been fined for having one or two customers more than the prescribed limit, causing a scare among restaurant owners. Another restaurant owner, Navtej Sahini of Arthur’s Theme, said that their business has suffered after the closing time was revised to 10 pm. “While our lunch walk-ins have remained the same, we have seen a significant fall in the evening walk-ins, especially during the weekdays. By the time the customers who are working during the day think of going out, our closing time approaches.”
Malls, too, are feeling the impact of the third wave. Kinjal Radia, Centre Director, The Pavillion Mall, said, “We have seen a considerable drop in sales and footfalls during the first 10 days of 2022.” However, he emphasized that malls offer a “safe shopping experience”.
Arun Arora, Centre Director, Phoenix Marketcity (Pune), said they have put in place various Covid-19 protocols like deploying double-vaccinated staff and screening the temperature of customers at the entry, among others, to check the spread of the virus.
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