Bengaluru: As the spectre of Covid looms large over the city, local pubs and restaurants are taking proactive measures to curb the potential spread of the virus.
These establishments are implementing crowd control, temperature checks, and mandatory use of face masks and sanitisers.
Several pubs in the city have opted to limit crowd sizes and refrain from hosting large gatherings, even for New Year celebrations. "As a precautionary measure, we are also making sure there is a sanitiser on each table,” said Gopinath, the manager of a pub in Indiranagar.
Restaurants and pubs along Church Street are also curbing the number of patrons by introducing entry fees. "We have started sanitising the place frequently,” said Arpan, a restaurant manager. “We are also stocking up essentials to ensure we do not run out of sanitisers," he explained.
Some pubs are adopting a wait-and-watch approach, planning to enforce stricter measures during the festive season.
"Starting December 23, we will check visitors’ temperature and ensure they use sanitisers before entering,” George Richard, manager of an eatery, said, adding that they would enforce the use of masks and stock up on basic medicines for emergencies.
However, some hoteliers are awaiting government directives before imposing restrictions, which currently are not in place. They are not in a hurry to impose restrictions, which would ruin business during Christmas and New Year celebrations.
"We have not received instructions from the government and will decide further actions depending on what they say," said a manager of a restaurant chain
Published 20 December 2023, 21:56 IST