NEWS | Restaurants may stay open till 8pm
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Mumbai: Restaurants may stay open till 8pm, but no airconditioning in large halls
Timings will be extended from 4pm to 8pm and dining-in at bars and restaurants allowed for longer hours at 50 percent capacity. Non-essential shops, as well as restaurants, may be allowed to stay open till 4 pm on Saturday. Sunday restrictions will continue, says State health minister Rajesh Tope.
Health minister Rajesh Tope said shop timings will be extended from 4 pm to 8 pm and dining-in at bars and restaurants allowed for longer hours at 50 percent capacity. Non-essential shops, as well as restaurants, may be allowed to stay open till 4pm on Saturday. Sunday restrictions will continue. The guest limit for social and cultural events will also be increased.
“It has also been agreed to allow malls, theatres to open at 50% capacity. The state will also be insisting that shop owners ensure their staffers are fully vaccinated. The government will also discourage the use of AC (air-conditioning) where large groups of people have been allowed like wedding halls. It is better for establishments to open their windows and allow for better circulation,” said Tope.
However, there is no consensus within the government on allowing the general public to use local trains. A decision is likely after a meeting with railway officials. “Checking of passengers will require huge manpower. Concerns were also raised regarding the rise in cases in Kerala and so it was decided to push train travel back for some more weeks,” said Tope. “Several discussions were held before finalising restrictions. We are closely monitoring any surge related to a third wave and preparing for it but economic relief had to be extended to the business community,” said Tope.
As per the Covid update, the weekly positivity of the state was 3.8% and the weekly growth rate as on June 27 was 0.11 percent. However, some districts like Satara are at 8 percent weekly positivity and a growth rate of 0.44 percent, the highest in the state.
“Some of the districts where relaxations will not be given are still a cause of concern for us. If required, restrictions may be further tightened in those districts,” said Tope.
