Owners of banquet halls, band businesses stare at losses due to COVID-19 restrictions

New Delhi [India], December 31 (ANI): Owners of banquet halls, marriage halls, and band businesses are staring at huge financial losses after the Delhi government imposed COVID-19 restrictions on Tuesday.
Speaking to ANI, Roshan Lal, Owner of the Kirti band said, "We will die if these restrictions go on like this. We already have been facing a lot of problems for the last two years due to lockdown. Now the same situation again has arisen."
"We receive numerous calls for booking cancellation. Today I received five such calls and it cost me around Rs 1 lakh. There are many people who are associated with me so I need to think about their survival also," Roshan said.
Gagan, Owner of Ritz banquet hall said, "This situation was killing us already. No weddings mean no income. We can manage social distancing norms in banquet halls. We had advance bookings, now people are calling for the cancellation. It will cost us badly."
"The money we take from people in advance, we give it to flowers, DJs, catering people, but now that money has been spent," Gagan added.
Rajinder Chawla, Owner of the Chawla band said, "Two years have already passed like this and the same has come again. At present, a total of 400 people are working with me. The government should take a smart decision instead of imposing a ban."
Meanwhile, band workers also expressed their concern over the COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Delhi government.
"What we will and our families eat because this is the only source of earning livelihood we have. Almost two years passed like these, then again the government has done the same thing," a band worker said.
Delhi government on Tuesday imposed more restrictions on social activities, economic activities, transportation movement in the national capital in view of rising Omicron and COVID-19 cases.
Private offices are allowed to open from 9 am to 5 pm with 50 percent capacity. Restaurants are open with 50 percent capacity, but from 8 am to 10 pm, while bars are also open with 50 percent capacity but from 12 noon to 10 pm.
Under this, there is a provision to keep cinema halls, multiplexes, banquet halls, and auditoriums closed. Hotels will remain open but banquets and conference halls inside the hotel will remain closed.
Only 20 people are allowed to attend the wedding ceremony and funeral. Religious places will remain open but the entry of devotees will be restricted. There is also a provision to ban social, political, religious, festival, and entertainment-related activities in this alert, although this ban is still going on in Delhi. (ANI)