Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) urges Maharashtra to allow establishments of the sector to operate until 11 p.m. The hospitality industry will be devastated by the consequences of the recent Covid wave.
New Delhi, Jan. 10 (PTI) The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) has urged Maharashtra to allow establishments of the sector to operate until 11 p.m. rather than 10 p.m., saying that businesses have put in a lot of effort to restart operations and that the new COVID wave will debilitate the hospitality industry without government assistance.After about 15 months of stifling operations, hotels and restaurants were finally returning to normalcy.In a statement released by HRAWI Senior Vice President Pradeep Shetty, hotels and restaurants have pumped money to reopen and restart operations following two successive lockouts.There is currently a lot of suspicion and worry in the market.
We ask the state government to allow us to operate at least until 11 p.m., he said.The state government has placed limits on shopping malls and eateries as part of its new COVID-19 rules, requiring them to be closed between 10 p.m. and 8 p.m., while those who are entering must be fully vaccinated.These establishments are allowed to operate at 50 percent occupancy.Shetty said that there has been a lot of work being done to rehabilitate workers and payback of loans used to restart operations following the lockdowns, which has been a major issue. In addition to avoiding any unpaid taxes, and utility bills, it should immediately introduce a direct salary transfer scheme for hospitality employees, he said.To shield owners and operators from credit defaults as a result of the third wave, he said, it is also vital that the government introduce a credit extension scheme or some other moratorium.Shetty said that the current situation is very troubling and that we stand behind the state government and support the fight against Covid without reservations.However, the hospitality industry will not be able to face the challenge on its own. Several hotels and restaurants have been forced to close and close their operations, resulting in financial losses.According to Shetty, over 35% of hotels and restaurants have closed down in the last two years.Such limitations have a long-term effect on industries, and their effects on the economy will be detrimental.He lamented that this wave has left us stranded in the city even without a literal lockdown. Shetty said that this time around, the government will have to step in and offer us a supporting hand.PTI RKL ABM A