KOLKATA: Most restaurants of Kolkata are witnessing dwindling footfall as people steer clear of mass gatherings amid the growing coronavirus threat, say eatery owners.
There has been a 30 per cent dip in customer count since the last few days, the owners of a popular rooftop lounge in Russel Street area, said.
"People are avoiding mass gatherings. A lot of 80-100 guest events have been called off in the past few weeks," Abhishek Dutt and Kritikaa Dutt told PTI.
Supratik Ghosh, the managing head of a Bollywood- themed restaurant in Bidhannagar, said the presence of foreigners is becoming uncomfortable for regular patrons.
"We tried to explain to them that they (foreigners) have undergone thermal screening at the airport but that assurance went in vain," Ghosh said.
The managing director of city-based ice cream firm, Gaurav Khemani, said it has seen a 20-per cent decline in the number of deliveries through online food ordering platforms.
"We apprehend a further reduction in sales with people not keen to venture out, particularly in towns where home delivery options may not be available," Khemani said.
There have been also reports of diners not frequenting the popular Chinatown in Tangra area of the city.
"There are about 40 restaurants in Chinatown and they are largely bereft of patrons," said a Tangra-based businessman.
Bengal jail department is mulling releasing life convicts on parole
The West Bengal jail department is mulling releasing life convicts on parole in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
According to Additional Director General (ADG), Prisons, Arun Gupta, the department is pondering over the idea that whether life convicts who are "willing and can be sent", could be released on parole in the backdrop of the coronavirus outbreak.
"Nothing has been decided so far. We are mulling if this can be done, as there are too many prisoners and there is a space constraint."
"According to the rules of fighting this virus, there has to be enough space between persons living together," another senior jail department official said.
There are around 60 prisons in West Bengal, housing around 25,000 inmates, of whom around 7,000 are convicts and the rest are undertrials.
"Of the 7,000, there are life convicts. We are talking to them in order to know who all are interested in availing parole. Then a final call will be taken on the prisoners who can be released on parole," the official said.
According to Gupta, precautionary measures such as the distribution of face masks among prisoners and jail employees have been taken.