Delhi Restaurants Can Stay Open Longer, Malls, Bars Back in Business from Today: FAQs Answered

In a revised guideline, the Delhi government on Sunday permitted all markets, market complexes, malls and bars to open with restrictions. The state government has also allowed opening up of public parks, gardens, golf clubs and outdoor yoga activities.

“All markets, market complexes and malls shall be permitted to open between 10am to 8pm. Restaurants are allowed upto 50% of the seating capacity from 8am to 10pm. Bars are allowed up to 50 percent of the seating capacity from 12pm to 10pm,” the statement of the DDMA read.

The relaxations in Covid-19 restrictions have been further extended in Delhi till June 28.

The statement of the DDMA also added that all schools, colleges, educational, training and coaching institutions will remain closed. It also added that social, religious and other gatherings are also prohibited.

However, the unlock measures in Delhi has become a cause of worry as people could be seen overcrowding at markets flouting Covid-appropriate norms such as wearing masks or maintaining social distance.

Dr Randeep Guleria, chief of Delhi’s All-India Institute of Medical Sciences and a member of the Centre’s Covid Task Force, has said that a third wave of Covid in India is “inevitable”, and it may hit the country sooner rather than later — within six to eight weeks.

“As we have started unlocking, there is again a lack of Covid-appropriate behaviour. We don’t seem to have learnt from what happened between the first and the second wave. Again crowds are building up… people are gathering. It will take some time for the number of cases to start rising at the national level,” Dr Guleria said.

“A third wave is inevitable and it could hit the country within the next six to eight weeks… may be a little longer… It all depends on how we go ahead in terms of Covid-appropriate behaviour and preventing crowds,” he said.

In April and May, the Capital saw one of the worst outbreaks, with people dying at homes and outside hospitals amid a huge shortage of beds, drugs and oxygen. The extent of the horror could be gauged from the fact that even crematoriums and graveyards ran out of space.

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