Gurgaon: Bars and restaurants in Haryana have been allowed to open with 50% capacity between 10am and 8pm, a move that will pro-vide a much-needed relief to the staggering hospitality industry.
Corporate offices can also open with 50% staff strength, provided all Covid protocols are followed and the premises are sanitised at regular intervals.
The Haryana government on Sunday extended the lockdown by a week till June 14 but offered several relaxations considering a dip in the number of daily Covid cases.
The government order specified that restaurants and bars should ensure a seating arrangement where there is sufficient social distance between each table.
The eateries will also have to undertake regular sanitisation and ensure all its workers and guests wear masks.
They will have to close for dining sharp at 8pm but can take orders for home deliveries till 10pm.
The closing timing of malls has been extended by 2 hours till 8pm.
Owners of restaurants and bars in the city backed the government decision but also urged the authorities to extend the closing time.
“We had been eagerly waiting to open and serve our customers.
However, the government should ideally revise the timings because a majority of the restaurants’ earnings come during the dinner time.
The opening hours are a bit dull.
For many, it can get a little difficult with the current norms,” said Inderjeet Singh Banga, the owner of Pirates of Grill.
He added that the government should prioritise workers of the hospitality sector and ensure they are vaccinated at the earliest.
Monica Kumari, who owns Nook Gourmet and Nook Inn and Suites Hotel, said the hospitality sector needed to resume business at the earliest to make up for the losses it had incurred during the lockdowns.
“This is a good decision, considering the fact that Covid-19 will take longer to be erased fully.
Business owners and customers need to fight this situation together.
We seek the support of customers to maintain social distance and follow other protocols,” she added.
Games will resume at the Golf Course between 10am and 8pm.
The club house, restaurants and bars at the Golf Course will also open, but the authorities have been asked to ensure there is no crowding.
A maximum of 21 people can visit temples and other places of worship at a time.
Weddings, funerals and cremation will be allowed with no more than 21 people.
The order has also said that weddings can be held outside houses, but no procession would be allowed.
For other gatherings, a maximum of 50 people have been allowed.
For more than 50, permission has to be taken from the deputy commissioner.
Similarly, the timing of shops in crowded markets has been extended from 9am-3pm to 9am-6pm.
An odd-even rule has already been imposed for standalone shops.
This means that shops with an odd number can open on odd days while those with an even number on the remaining days.