Mumbai eateries see low footfall post-lockdown; staff, infrastructure constraints make road to recovery tougher

Under the fifth phase of easing COVID-19 restrictions called Unlock 5, over 4 lakh restaurants, bars and hotels in Maharashtra reopened on Monday after a gap of seven months.

Maharashtra Government issues Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for restaurants that are to reopen from October 5 with 50% occupancy; all customers may be screened at the entry point, only asymptomatic customers shall be allowed. #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/Pwhtn5I6Op

— ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2020

This move, announced by Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on 28 September, will bring relief to the state’s hospitality industry which approximately generates over Rs 18,000 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. However, the situation will hardly be smooth sailing for the industry as the announcement comes along with strict safety guidelines. Measurues like functioning at only 50 percent capacity imply it’ll take time to restart brisk business. 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. Shortage of workforce Due to an acute crunch in staff, several restaurant owners have asked their employees to return to Mumbai to ensure resumption of operation at the earliest. Speaking to Hindustan Times, All India hotel and restaurant Association (AHAR) said that of the total 15,000 restaurants in Mumbai, not more than 4,000 were able to reopen their dine-in option from Monday because of an acute shortage of workforce. While many restaurants across Mumbai were geared up, a substantial number have decided to take a call on reopening over the next few days, as logistics and the supply of personnel to help operate the services are yet to be worked out. “It is definitely going to be different from how things worked before COVID-19, so in order to ensure that people keep on visiting restaurants, we will have to keep sanitising the premises,” said Shivanand Shetty, president of AHAR. He further added, “More than 8,000 restaurants are part of our association but only 30 percent to 40 percent will be opening up on Monday. It’s almost like a fresh beginning for everyone… due to the lockdown, electronic items were not serviced and they have stopped working. So, everyone will gradually restart their restaurants.” Customers hesitant about dine-in service Another report by Indian Express said that Mumbai’s restaurants, bars and cafes managed only a lukewarm comeback because fewer customers were willing to dine in. The report quoted Neeti Goel, owner of Madras Diaries, as saying, “Customers seem to view air-conditioned rooms with suspicion now and there are more requests for al fresco (open air) tables.” Another restaurant called Aditi, located opposite KEM Hospital, has kept dine-in shut and allowed only takeaways. “There is also higher risk of infection because most of our customers are patients’ relatives. If any one staffer gets infected, we will have to shut down,” said waiter Rakesh Shetty. He further said that they will reopen dine in service only when staffers return from their hometowns and the number of coronavirus cases subside. What do the guidelines entail? As per the guidelines, customers should be screened at the entry point for coronavirus symptoms such as high temperature, cough and cold. Only asymptomatic customers will be allowed inside. Wearing face masks will be mandatory except while eating, the guidelines said. Customers must adhere to social distancing while waiting for service. Consent should be obtained from visitors for sharing their details with administrative and health authorities for contact-tracing related activities, the guidelines said. Hand sanitizers must be made available, and payment through digital mode should be encouraged while precautions should be taken during cash transactions. Rest rooms and hand-wash areas must be cleaned regularly. Plexiglass screens or similar barriers must be erected at counters where interactions with customers occur frequently. There should be separate entry and exit points, the guidelines said. Dabbawallahs of tiffin carriers in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) will be allowed to travel by local trains after procuring QR code passes from the Mumbai police commissioner’s office. Maharashtra’s rising COVID-19 cases The state continues to remain 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 14.5 lakh as on Tuesday. The COVID-19 caseload of MMR went past the five lakh. The region reported 79 deaths on Monday, taking its toll to 16,376. With inputs from PTI