BMC Commissioner exclusive: Mumbai restaurants don't have to shut at 9 pm
With new restrictions in place, in light of the new variant (Omicron) of COVID-19, the year-end spirit is once again been marred. Most of all, the hospitality sector is once again facing the heat of all these measures. In an interview with CNBC-TV18, BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, responded to some of the common questions that every Mumbaikar is asking. He said that only crowding at public places is restricted. Also, restaurants don't have to shut at 9 pm.
With new restrictions in place, in light of the new variant (Omicron) of COVID-19, the year-end spirit is marred once again. Most of all, the hospitality sector is once again facing the heat of all these measures. Just as the industry was gearing up and hoping to make up for the lockdown months, they will be required to adhere to a slew of instructions notified by the various States in this regard, which in turn may impact business.
In an interview with CNBC-TV18, BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, responded to some of the common questions that every Mumbaikar is asking. He said that curfew doesn't mean that everything will shut down post 9 pm. According to him, only crowding at public places has been restricted.
He said, "We have done only three things which you may call as restrictions or curbs. We have issued orders that between 9 pm and 6 am, there shall not be assembly of more than five people in a public place, nothing else."
"So it is not a curfew when nothing moves, everything is shut down. Here 24/7, everything is moving. Except, we don't want crowding at public places like beaches or public gardens or places like Marine Drive, Carter Road, things like that. So, if we can avoid crowding, the fast spread of Omicron can be controlled," he explained.
Chahal explained that public place restrictions will be reviewed in 2 weeks' time.
He explained that restaurants don't have to shut at 9 pm. He stated, "Since last two, three months, restaurants remain open till 1:30am. Restaurants are functioning at 50 percent of their seating capacities."
He added, "My only humble request to the Hotel and Restaurant Association and the members are please don't flout these rules. Don't pack up your restaurants; you have self-discipline and our common objective is only to control the spread of Omicron. If they stick to this 50 percent occupancy which is going on for the last two-three months, I am sure they will be doing great favour to all of us."
On New Year parties, Chahal said that the restriction is only on parties, that too for one night, that is December 31st. He said, "Mumbai has thousands of restaurants and hotels. People tend to overcrowd. So only for one evening, we have said that there shall not be any parties in these hotels and restaurants where more than 12-13 million people are likely to come and that can lead to a very rapid spread of Omicron."
Chahal intends to keep a close eye on how things unfold. Meanwhile, he urges restaurants and the public at large to adhere to social distancing norms.
He clarified that schools will open as planned and there's no change therein.
On Omicron cases, he said that there are only 11 active cases in Mumbai as of today. He mentioned that Mumbai is geared up and 1 lakh hospital beds are available in the city, along with 30,000 ICU beds. Chahal also mentioned that one Jumbo Centre is kept well equipped to be able to deal with any surge in the number of cases.
On preventive steps to stop the spread of Omicron, Chahal stated that the BMC has home quarantined over 30,000 people. He explained that all COVID samples are being sent for genome sequencing.
On vaccines, he said that the plan is to vaccinate children at a fast pace. To achieve this goal, around 21 lakh vaccine doses have already been stocked.
Watch the full interview for more.
Read also: India COVID-19 highlights: Maharashtra imposes Section 144 at night; Omicron cases jump to 358
(Edited by : Dipikka Ghosh)
First Published: Dec 27, 2021 1:58 PM IST
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