Delhi’s restaurant, movie hall owners say Covid curbs may be a body blow

Under the ‘Yellow Alert’ of the Graded Response Action Plan to tackle Covid-19, the Delhi government has directed restaurants to function at 50% seating capacity, and restricted their operation time from 8am to 10pm.

Restaurants and cinema halls are staring at massive losses on account of the fresh restrictions issued by the Delhi government to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the city, with owners of these establishments saying that they were still picking up the pieces after the closure of their businesses during the fourth wave earlier this year.

Delhi’s restaurant owners said curtailment of timings will cause a huge dent in earnings. (PTI)

Under the ‘Yellow Alert’ of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) to tackle Covid-19, the Delhi government has directed restaurants to function at 50% seating capacity, and restricted their operation time from 8am to 10pm. Bars too are allowed to operate at 50% seating capacity, but from 12 noon to 10pm. Cinema halls and multiplexes have been directed to shut down under the fresh crubs.

Noting that the theatre business had restarted only last month, with the release of Sooryavanshi, and now with Spider-Man: No Way Home, which are among the few big-ticket films to release since the start of the pandemic, cinema hall owners said that the closure of theatres dashed their hopes of a long-awaited revival and recovery.

“A number of big-ticket films were lined up for release in the coming months. Due to the sudden closure, there will be a huge loss of business for cinemas. We had resumed services in August but business started only in November after the release of Sooryavanshi,” said Janmayjai Verma, manager, Delite Cinema.

In a written statement on Tuesday, Kamal Gainchandani, president of the Multiplex Association of India, said that the Delhi government’s decision has caused massive uncertainty and can lead to irreparable damage for the film industry. “While we fully understand the need on the government’s part to take necessary preventive measures, we would request that cinemas should get equal treatment with comparable industries and institutions. Instead of closing cinemas, we would urge the Delhi government to consider introducing ‘double vaccination requirement’ to enter cinemas, as is the case in some of the other states (including Maharashtra). Alternatively, the seating capacity restriction of 50% can be reintroduced at cinemas,” said Gainchandani.

Meanwhile, restaurant owners said curtailment of timings will cause a huge dent in earnings.

SN Kaushal, senior manager of Kwality restaurant, Regal Building in Connaught Place, said the restrictions would require outlets to wrap up services by 9pm — a crucial period for sales.

“Around 40% of the business usually takes place after 9pm, this will be lost. We will have to close early so that the staff can reach home before the night curfew kicks in,” said Kaushal. He said that while the restaurant had recovered around 80% of the business, fresh curbs could set back recovery once again.

“We will have to wait and see how the situation pans out after January. If the situation continues to be abysmal, we will be compelled to take tough decisions. The morale of the staff is down because losses will have a direct impact on employment,” said Kaushal.

A staff member at restaurant-cum-bar Pebble Street, at New Friends Colony (NFC), said the fresh curbs had come during the holiday season. “The impact on business will be huge. Since more people usually tend to visit our outlet in the evening, we will lose out on crucial earnings during peak business hours,” said the staff member, who did not wish to be identified.