Religious places suggest delayed opening, hotels ready to welcome guests

The district administration has decided to follow the revised night curfew timings issued by the ministry of home affairs — 9pm to 5am — and held a meeting with representatives of religious organisations, restaurants and hospitality industry for a phased exit from the lockdown.

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The meeting was chaired by divisional commissioner Ashok Sangwan while Amit Khatri, deputy commissioner, Gururgam was also present.

Officials said that decision to open religious places and business establishment would be taken on the basis of guidelines issued by the Union health ministry. The inputs from local stakeholders would help in phased exit from lockdown that was imposed on March 22.

In the meeting, representatives of religious organisations asked the authorities to show restraint and delay the opening of the religious places in the city as there was a possibility of large crowds gathering at these places, which could further the spread of Covid-19. The representatives also said that it would be difficult to prevent people from visiting religious sites once they are open, as per a statement issued by the administration.

“We have to exit the lockdown in a phased manner. The state government has to decide on the services which can be opened. In phase one, the guidelines will be applicable to three kinds of institutions that include hotels, religious places and shopping malls,” said Sangwan. He also asked the religious organisations to share plans for ensuring social distancing while performing prayers and other rituals at the places of worship.

The representatives of the hotel and restaurant industry asked the district administration to allow the resumption of business as they are ready to follow all the safeguards prescribed by the government. They also said that there was no problem with regard to safety and security, as guests continue to stay in city hotels.

In the meeting, Sangwan said that a standard operating procedure based on the guidelines of health ministry would be prepared. He said that hotel rooms should be properly sanitised and permission can be granted for room service, but serving walk-in customers won’t be allowed. He also called for adequate social distancing among guests and said that gyms and swimming pools in hotels would not be allowed to operate.

In the case of restaurants, the divisional commissioner said that only take-away service would be allowed and that the permission for hosting guests would be given later, based on the emerging situation. The representatives asked the authorities to allow 50% guest capacity in restaurants.

Authorities also said that suggestions in this regard can be emailed to dcgrg@hry.nic.in.

Earlier in the day, a notification was issued by deputy commissioner changing the curfew timings. The order said that movement of any individual whomsoever for non-essential purposes shall henceforth remain restricted between 9pm and 5pm from May 31 to June 30. The order also said that persons above the age of 65 years, persons having co-morbidities suffering from chronic diseases, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years shall avoid coming out in the open except in the case of a medical emergency or essential requirement as specified in the national directive.