'Finally back to normal': As Delhi reopens fully, hope for the future
New Delhi: With the Delhi government lifting all curbs related to COVID-19, the light is finally appearing at the end of the tunnel for businesses in the national capital that suffered unprecedented losses in the past two years due to the pandemic and residents finally feeling that things are "getting back" to normal.
Business owners and trade associations are expecting March to be a strong recovery period as restaurants, bars, cinemas and other establishments resume regular operations.
The several waves of the pandemic took a heavy toll on economic activities in the capital as well. Malls, restaurants, cinemas and other businesses were forced to shut down completely for several months. When the COVID-19 cases subsided, the businesses were allowed to open with several restrictions, including 50 percent capacity.
"Delhi is finally getting back to normal after two years. We have witnessed a lot in this period and we all are tired. I am thankful to the Delhi government. Now we can live life normally," said Komal Sharma, a 25-year-old resident of Laxmi
Nagar.
Himanshu, a 24-year resident of Dwarka, expressed the hope that the cases will continue to decline despite the removal of curbs.
"Prudent thing to do considering that cases have been steadily going down. Hope it continues this way. As a student, it will help me because I want to attend offline classes. One is not able to learn much in online classes," he said
Striking an optimistic note, National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) President Kabir Suri said they are expecting that 80 to 85 percent of pre-COVID business will be restored in March. There are about 96,000 eateries in Delhi which include both organised and unorganised players.
Business owners in the national capital were demanding the lifting of curbs on activities for quite some time.
In its last meeting on Saturday, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) announced that it has decided to lift all COVID-related restrictions from Monday.
The announcement means that night curfew is lifted, markets can stay open till 10 PM, and restaurants, bars, cafes, and cinema halls can function at 100 percent seating capacity.
Gautam Dutta, CEO of PVR Limited, said it is an extremely important period for them as some big movies are lined up. "They need to be given their due space in the cinema circuit and audiences should not be denied their share of big-screen experience," he said.
Meanwhile, the Capital on Monday reported 258 new Covid-19 cases, with zero deaths in a day - a first since the third wave started picking up in January this year. According to official figures, the positivity dipped to 0.71 per cent with a little over 36,000 tests conducted in a day. Active cases are now at 1,845 and the death toll stands at 26,122.
