Night curfew adversely affects wedding business in UP

Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in the state, the administration has imposed strict restrictions like night curfew and restrictions on attendees at weddings, but this has adversely affected the event industry which is still recovering from the aftermath of lockdown.

The night curfew imposed in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, coupled with the Delhi government's guidelines is either affecting the sales of wedding accessories or resulting in the cancellation of the booking of banquets, halls for wedding functions.

"Speaking to , Pramod Chaturvedi, general manager of a hotel Clarks Avadh said, "It is not possible to attend guests with the night curfew restrictions, people will not come to attend. We are receiving huge calls from our customers about the cancellation. We are trying to convince them that restrictions are only for a week. But in case these reactions will continue, there will not be an option rather than cancellation."

According to the people involved in businesses linked to weddings, the night curfew imposed in the city has adversely affected them.

"How can I finish my work at any function by 9 pm (when curfew comes into effect)? Customers are canceling orders," a horse-drawn carriages operator said on Thursday.

"Last year lockdown collapsed our business, we somehow managed to run our houses with our savings and as soon as the wedding season started this year, these restrictions are again affecting our business. We would not have any other option than to starve," said a wedding music band operator.

After investing huge capital in wedding clothes, shop owners are worried about the sale and afraid about recovering the investment this year.

"Even though it is a wedding season, the sales are down. If this situation continues, how will we pay the salaries of our employees?" a cloth store owner said.

A night curfew has been imposed in Uttar Pradesh's capital Lucknow, Kanpur, and Varanasi with effect from Thursday night.

Meanwhile, as per the Union health ministry, there are currently 31,987 active cases in Uttar Pradesh. So far, 6,04,979 recoveries and 8,964 deaths have been reported. As many as 1,26,789 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Thursday, taking the total number of infections to 1,29,28,574. Currently, there are 9,10,319 active cases in the country.

( With inputs from ANI )