Mumbai Restaurants To Open From Monday Under Unlock 5

Over 4 lakh restaurants, bars, and hotels in Maharashtra will reopen on Monday after a gap of six months as part of the fifth phase of easing COVID-19 restrictions called Unlock 5. They were shut down, along with most businesses across the country, under the nationwide lockdown in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.

This move, announced by Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on September 28, will bring relief to the state's hospitality industry which approximately generates over Rs18,000 crore in revenues and employs around 2.4 crore people directly and indirectly. This includes the over 1 lakh such businesses in capital Mumbai alone.

"He (Chief Minister Thackeray) has agreed to consider our petition for waiver of excise licence fee for six months - the duration for which establishments were required to remain shut," Sherry Bhatia, President of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India, had said on September 28 reacting to the government's unlock decision.

A section of the industry has remained functional under the lockdown through home deliveries.

The reopening restaurants will, however, have to strictly follow safety rules listed by authorities.

These measures include functioning at only 50 per cent capacity and adherence to social distancing norms. Patrons will have to abide by rules such as wearing face masks and use of sanitisers. Their contact details will be shared with authorities if needed. The premises, including furniture and upholstery, must be regularly sanitised, too.

Maharashtra is India's worst COVID-19-affected state, adding almost 20,000 new cases every day over the past month and with the total number of infected people reaching around 14 lakh. Mumbai alone has averaged over 2,000 positive cases in the past few weeks, with over 9,000 deaths being recorded so far.

However, these numbers have been falling in recent days, both for Maharashtra as well as Mumbai.