Covid is not spoiling this New Year Eve bash
Covid cases in the country are unlikely to play party pooper for large-scale New Year's Eve celebrations as there are no crowd curbs for December 31 so far, hoteliers and restaurateurs said. Celebrations and parties are being planned as usual and there is no capping in terms of numbers, the people cited above said.
Maharashtra has extended timings for food and beverage licensed establishments till 5 am in areas such as Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad, and Nagpur.
«The bookings look very promising so far.
Resort locations are expected to be sold out closer to December 31 and large-scale celebrations are being planned in big cities in hotels,» said Pradeep Shetty, president, Hotel And Restaurant Association (Western India).
«We have issued circulars to our members to ensure celebrations are safe and done in a responsible manner. The decision to extend timelines is a welcome move,» he added.
Bars and pubs in Karnataka can stay open till 1 am and there are no curbs on numbers.
«The authorities have added some KYC requirements such as seeking contact details and address proof of guests coming in.
We need lady bouncers as well and we are expected to clear the premises by 1 am,» said Chethan Hegde, the Bengaluru chapter chief of National Restaurant Association of India. «But, that is to do with security concerns in general around December 31 and it's not Covid linked,» he added.
Sudesh Poddar, president, Hotel & Restaurant Association of Eastern India, said people don't seem to be bothered about Covid and Christmas was excellent for the industry. «Business was better than last year and we are expecting the same for New Year's Eve as well.
