Ban on F&B puts hotel industry under stress, HRAWI urges government to ease restrictions

Aurangabad, March 26: Hotels and restaurants in the State’s tourism capital of Aurangabad have come under severe stress after a complete lockdown was imposed on all food and beverages (F&B) establishments in the city. The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) and the Aurangabad Hotels and Restaurants Association (AHRA) have stated that after eight months of complete lockdown, a repeat would mean a death blow to business. A complete lockdown at this point will irreversibly damage the hospitality ecosystem, said the HRAWI and appealed to the Government to reconsider its decision and allow restaurants to operate regular hours even if with limited capacities. It has pointed out that a complete lockdown of 500 hotels and, 1300 restaurants and bars in the city will result into massive job losses and the subsequent financial loss will push establishments into bankruptcy.

“Since the lockdown was lifted, 30 per cent hotels and restaurants haven't yet reopened; another 20 per cent have permanently shut due to financial losses and the remaining 50 per cent that did reopen are being forced to shut again. There is no denying that Covid positive cases are on the rise but holding just the hospitality industry responsible for it, is outright unfair. Ironically, hotels and restaurants are the place where all the precautions are being followed. The hospitality industry was frontline warrior during the worst phase of the pandemic. We accommodated doctors and health workers and served lakhs of meals every day to the needy. We are a responsible industry and be allowed to continue operating,” said Sherry Bhatia, President, HRAWI.

Reacting to complete lockdown imposed on restaurants in Aurangabad, restaurateurs have alleged that the district authorities have singled out only the restaurants and have made a harsh decision.

“We are following all the SoPs as advised by the Government and the local authorities. The premises of restaurants and hotels are controlled and regulated, and the staff is trained and educated on health and safety protocols. Yet, hotels and restaurants invariably come in the line of fire,” said Harpreet Singh, spokesperson, AHRA urging the administration to reconsider the decision.