Kerala govt allows people to have food inside restaurants, hoteliers cite staff shortage

On the first day after the Kerala government allowed people to have food inside the restaurants, however, only a handful of these establishments have opened. Most of the hotels are yet to allow people to sit and have food inside.

Only 50 per cent hotels will be able to allow the service due to staff shortage as the majority of the workers were migrant laborers who left for their home states.

Speaking to , Madhusoodanan Nair, working president, Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association, Thiruvananthapuram district said, "Though Kerala government has allowed hotels to open from today allowing people to have food following social distancing, only 50 per cent hotels will be able to open in Thiruvananthapuram."

"The main issue opening hotels and restaurants during the staff crunch. About three lakh migrant workers used to work in the hotel and restaurant industry in Thiruvananthapuram alone, hailing from various states like Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa, and West Bengal,' he added.

After the COVID-19 situation turned worse, most of them have left for their home state. This is a major issue the hotel industry is facing, said Nair.

"The hotels are providing parcel service due to this. We have urged the government to provide assistance to the hotel and restaurant industry," he added.

( With inputs from ANI )