The decision on weekend curfew comes days after the AAP government had imposed night curfew from 10 pm to 5 am till April 30.Delhi has recorded around 24,000 COVID-19 cases, the highest daily rise so far, according to data shared by Kejriwal on Saturday. Some decided to shut down, others downsized their staff and almost all registered a dip in the number of home deliveries as the weekend curfew in Delhi brought with it a sense of deja vu for restaurant owners.
It is business “far from usual” for them, counting on their losses even on weekend, the days that have traditionally raked in the moolah for the food and beverage industry. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced a curfew this weekend and the closure of malls, dine-in services at restaurants till April 30 as part of sweeping restrictions to contain the spiralling coron avirus infections.
Delhi has recorded around 24,000 COVID-19 cases, the highest daily rise so far, according to data shared by Kejriwal on Saturday. “Our sales in comparison to regular weekends have gone down by 90 per cent,” said Mohit Ahuja, owner of Shakespeare Cafe, Punjabi Bagh.
“We’ve asked only the kitchen staff to come since we are only delivering this weekend. The situation is really bad and our sales, our suffering irreparable,” Ahuja said.
Though getting orders from regular customers, Aakriti Sawhney, owner MeMy Caf, Chhatarpur, said delivery orders on partner food apps saw a “considerable downward slope. Sawhney added that almost 30 per cent of her staff was left with no work as dine-in facility had been ordered to shut.
“Staff has been asked to stay home safe until further orders. Also, since our restaurant location is not in a residential area so we expect very few or nominal orders,”
