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Business News/ News / India/  Delhi: Covid curbs extended till 31 Dec amid Omicron scare. Details here
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Delhi: Covid curbs extended till 31 Dec amid Omicron scare. Details here

In an order, the DDMA said the currently permitted and restricted activities in the national capital will continue up to the intervening night (12.00 hrs) of 31 December and 1 January

In the pre-Covid period, hotels, bars, restaurants and banquets halls used to be jam-packed with revellers during Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations.Premium
In the pre-Covid period, hotels, bars, restaurants and banquets halls used to be jam-packed with revellers during Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations.

Ahead of the Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Wednesday extended the coronavirus-related curbs till 31 December midnight.

The restrictions include a ban on social and cultural gatherings and a cap on bars and restaurants, which will operate with 50% of seating capacity.

In an order, the DDMA said the currently permitted and restricted activities in the national capital will continue up to the intervening night (12.00 hrs) of 31 December and 1 January.

Under a phased reopening with improved coronavirus scenario in Delhi, the DDMA has permitted most of the activities. However, political, social, cultural, religious and such other gatherings are still not permitted.

Apart from the cap of 50% of seating capacity on bars and restaurants, the DDMA order also continued the curbs on banquet halls to hold events other than meetings and conferences, exhibitions and marriages.

In the pre-Covid period, hotels, bars, restaurants and banquets halls used to be jam-packed with revellers during Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations.

Restaurateurs were disappointed with the decision and said they were hoping to recover the losses incurred during the pandemic by organising events on New Year's Eve and Christmas.

Rahul Singh, the owner of Beer Cafe, said, "Multiplexes, cinema halls, buses -- everywhere 100 per cent capacity is allowed. So what have we done to deserve this? It is disappointing. We were hoping to come out of the losses that the industry has suffered during the pandemic but now it looks difficult."

He said it is understandable that there is a threat of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus but questioned whether singling out restaurants and bars is the only solution to ward off the fear of spread of infection.

Joy Singh, co-partner of Raasta and Yeti, said, "We have had some bookings for Christmas and New Year and we will have to refund the money of some customers and that will be a loss for us. Of course, regular customers will be given preference in bookings."

However, he said that looking at a bigger picture, this is slightly a better solution. 

"If by taking some precautions, we can contain the spread of virus and prevent a situation that may call for a complete lockdown, it is better," he said.

Meanwhile, Delhi witnessed a slight increase in its daily COVID-19 case count as 57 new cases were reported during the last 24 hours.

The national capital reported 45 cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday.

As per the bulletin provided by the state government, the positivity rate for the day stands at 0.10 per cent, up from 0.09 per cent yesterday. A total of 58,328 samples were tested during the last 24 hours, up from 48,120 samples on the previous day.

During the last 24 hours, 36 people recovered from the infection, taking the total recoveries in the state to 14,16,322.

However, no deaths were reported for the seventh straight day during the last 24 hours. The death toll due to the deadly virus is currently 25,100.

There are currently 428 active COVID-19 cases in Delhi out of which 192 are in home isolation.

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Published: 15 Dec 2021, 10:30 PM IST
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