A day after the Union Home Ministry released guidelines for easing restrictions in non-containment zones as a part of Unlock 3.0, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal released rules for the national capital.
According to the order, the Delhi government has ended night curfew (10 pm to 5 am) and also allowed reopening of hotels and hospitality services.
The government said it will allow weekly bazaars on a trial basis for a week while ensuring social distancing norms.
Last week, the government had allowed street hawkers to operate from 10 am to 8 pm on a trial basis for a week. They will now be permitted to function in the future without any limitations on operating hours.
Delhi government had on Wednesday delinked all hotels earlier attached to various Covid-19 hospitals to increase the number of beds after the pandemic situation improved in the city. In early June, around 40 hotels had been attached, enhancing the capacity of Covid-19 beds by 4,600. However, now a majority of beds are vacant because Delhi has only around 10,700 active cases.
"Since hotels in Delhi are no longer linked to hospitals, the Delhi government has decided to allow normal functioning of hotels and hospitality services, as already permitted under Centre's Unlock guidelines," said a government statement.
The hotel industry has welcomed the decision, saying it will work like oxygen for the industry, which was in bad shape due to the coronavirus lockdown. "All hotels have remained closed since the lockdown began in March. Around 650 budget hotels are located in Paharganj besides hundreds in other parts of the city. It has led to thousands of people losing their jobs," said Daljeet Chadha, who is associated with one of the hotel associations.
Chamber of Trade and Industry convener Brijesh Goyal said the reopening of hotels would help the economy grow. "Many people wanting to travel to Delhi for business purposes are discouraged due to lack of a place to stay," he said.
Ankur Bhatia of Roseate Hotels and chairman of the Northern India Tourism Committee of the Confederation of Indian Industries said any function of up to 50 people was being scheduled in Gurgaon, Noida, and even Jaipur due to hotels in the capital being closed. "Many residents were opting for drivable vacations to hotels in other states. The government’s decision to reopen hotels will allow revenue to stay within the state. Most Delhi residents can celebrate and have their break within the city," said Bhatia.
