While bars, dine-in-services are set to re-open in Maharashtra, West Bengal has decided to open theatres and cinema halls in the fifth stage of ending the pandemic induced lockdown that began nationwide in March.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackrey on Monday allowed the re-opening of about 4 lakh bars, restaurants, and other eatery outlets from the first week of October. According to a government statement, the guidelines were decided after a meeting between the CM and Industry organizations.
Similar to other sectors, hospitality sector consisting of hotels, bars, restaurants and eatery outlets were hit hard by the pandemic caused by coronavirus. Most of them have been surviving on home deliveries since unlocking began from July. Restaurants were initially allowed to start with 50% capacity while adhering to social distancing norms
On the other hand, the government of West Bengal decided to re-open the entertainment industry including Cinemas, Plays, Shows, etc. with 50% capacity from October 1. “To return to normalcy, Jatras, Plays, OATs, Cinemas & all musical, dance, recital & magic shows shall be allowed to function with 50 participants or less from 1 Oct, subject to adherence to physical distancing norms, wearing of masks & compliance to precautionary protocols,” tweeted West Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee.
Kerala has decided to re-open Sabarimala Temple with limited number of devotees. Covid 19 negative certificate will be mandated for visitors to the teme. The CM further advised children and people above 65 years of age to refrain from visiting the temple. “Devotees will be required to carry covid negative certificates from their respective states and once they arrive, they will be tested again by health officials”, said Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala. Dates of opening up the temple are yet to be decided by the government.
After considering all the aspects, the government of Arunachal Pradesh is planning to re-open the tourism sector, which have been hit worst by the pandemic, to re-generate employment and revenue. ‘Tourism is one major source of revenue and employment. Keeping all considerations in mind, we will be re-opening the sector. If everything goes well, after October we will be open to visitors,’ said Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu.