Relief for gyms, banquet halls in new unlock plan

Cinema halls, auditoriums, schools, colleges and entertainment parks continue to stay shut, while sports complexes and swimming pools may only be used by sportspersons training for national or international events.

Gyms, yoga institutes and banquet halls in Delhi will be allowed to open with restrictions from Monday, as part of phased relaxations by the state disaster management authority, while cinema halls and spas will stay shut for at least another week.

Banquet halls will only be allowed to open for weddings, the DDMA’s rules said. (HT file photo. Representative image)

“The owners of the gymnasiums, yoga institutes, banquet halls, marriage halls and hotels shall be responsible for ensuring strict compliance of Covid-19 appropriate behaviour...,” said the order issued by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Saturday evening.

Banquet halls will only be allowed to open for weddings, the DDMA’s rules said. Weddings will now be allowed with up to 50 people, if taking place in a banquet hall. However, if a wedding is being held in court or at home, the existing cap of 20 persons remains in place, said the order.

Cinema halls, auditoriums, schools, colleges and entertainment parks continue to stay shut, while sports complexes and swimming pools may only be used by sportspersons training for national or international events.

All social, religious, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural, festival related and other gatherings and congregations will remain prohibited.

With regard to the Delhi Metro’s request for “further relaxations” to tackle overcrowding at stations, the DDMA maintained status quo on the rules for the popular public transit service.

At present, Metro trains can operate with only 50% of the seating capacity, while no standing passengers are allowed.

Last week, DDMA allowed parks, golf clubs, outdoor yoga and public gardens to reopen, while bars were allowed to operate at 50% capacity.

Markets, standalone and neighbourhood shops, malls, state-run buses, weekly markets in the city are already open, with regulations in place.