THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan sent out a warning recently that wayside eateries and hotels could be a source of Covid-19 infection and contribute to yet another pandemic wave in the state. This has come as a huge blow to hotel and restaurant owners in the city who are struggling to get back on their feet after a long break
The Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi has come out strongly against the statement made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that roadside eateries and restaurants may be a source of Covid-19 spread. The samithi has demanded him to withdraw the comment that could have a negative effect on businesses.
S S Manoj, state secretary of Samithi, said that the statement is targeting hoteliers and eateries.
“The chief minister should withdraw this statement which is almost advising people to not visit eateries or restaurants. There are many other places where people are crowding. Banks are more vulnerable in terms of local transmission than hotels, since many bank employees have tested positive. It was the government’s decision to reopen the restaurants. It was done without proper planning. Now they expect us to enforce the norms. ‘Customer is king’ for us,” said Manoj, who is also the district president of the Samithi. He added that the government has failed to support them financially.
“The interest-free loans they offered still remains on paper,” he added.
Hotels demand specific operation guidelines
The Kerala Hotels and Restaurants Association (KHRA), is now demanding specific norms from the state government regarding the operation of hotels and restaurants in the state.
G Sudheish Kumar, patron of KHRA, said that the nearly 2,500 restaurants and hotels are already struggling because of the pandemic.
“Many of them are running with bare minimum customers — just 20 to 30 per cent of the footfall they had before the pandemic. It’s impossible for us to go hard on the restrictions and risk losing customers. The government should come up with guidelines regarding the maximum number of customers to be allowed inside restaurants depending on their seating capacity,” said Sudheish, adding that everyone is responsible for ensuring that pandemic doesn’t spread further.
Increased competition adds to woes
According to Mani R, district secretary of Fast Food Owners’ Association, many who lost their jobs owing to the pandemic are turning into food businesses.
“Many new food trucks have launched business on the Kowdiar-Kuravankonam stretch. Multiple food trucks belonging to the same owners are creating concern, as they have an unhealthy foothold in the market. We have decided not to allow this anymore. We have already warned such operators. New trucks without proper food safety registration and identity cards will also be denied permission. We will take this up with the police,” said Mani.
K S Pradeep Kumar, state president of Street Vendors Federation said that there are around 5.5 lakh street vendors in the state.
“What we need is an inclusive plan and more space to accommodate these vendors. This would help avoid crowding,” said Pradeep.
Health experts express concern
Research carried out by Stanford University and Northwestern University highlighted the risk posed by eateries with regard to virus spread. As per the study, close contact exposures during dine-ins could increase the chance of infection. Joseph Chacko, state president, Kerala Government Medical Officers Association (KGMOA), seconded this finding.
“I don’t think there needs to be fresh guidelines for eateries. They are bound to comply with the current norms which clearly mandate social distancing guidelines. Eateries must provide protective gear including gloves and masks to their employees which many are not following. They should arrange the tables and chairs to allow a minimum number of customers at a time ,” said Joseph.
He said that the wayside eateries pose more risk and the police needs to enforce norms strictly to ensure safety. “People from other districts, travellers and drivers depend on wayside eateries where people come in close contact with each other,” he added.