New Delhi: Many restaurants and retail stores in Delhi have seen a 50 per cent decrease in footfall in the past few days, as the number of Coronavirus cases all over the country climbs to 151.
In Delhi's shopping hub, Cannaught Place, a handful of people were seen shopping or roaming. Many restaurants in the vicinity have said that since this past week, the number of people visiting their restaurant has drastically decreased. "We all know how unsafe it has become. We have seen a huge amount of decrease in customers visiting us," said the manager of Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) in CP.
Just a few feet away stood a fancy restaurant Wok in the Clouds. Outside the restaurant, their customers stood chatting among themselves. "Since the past few days we have literally received no customer," said a worker, who didn't want to be named. He said that even though the situation is tense, people are not taking it seriously. "I think people need to realise how serious the issue is and authorities need to take strict measures," he said.
On asking whether any discussion to close the restaurant has taken place, he said they have been told that they will soon receive a notice. "Few restaurants nearby have already shut down their services. We are still waiting for our notices. But I feel as if we need to do it soon," he added.
The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) has issued an advisory to all its members to shut down their restaurant operations from March 18-31, or till the time no new Coronavirus cases are reported.
With their face coverd, another branch of CCD in Delhi claimed that they have seen a fall of about 55 per cent in their customers. "We have been given sanitisers and masks while it has been made compulsory to cover our mouths," said Gurinder a worker there.
According to many restaurants, they are waiting for the notices to get closed. "I am feeling unsafe being out here in the open," said a worker at Wok in the Clouds restaurant.
Retail stores in shambles
The threat of Coronavirus is more than the fall of markets for people, who say their health is more important. At CP's Mini Su, there is hardly any customer. A retail store that sells cheap Asian products, hardly anyone is seen in the shop. "Of course, customers have stopped coming," said the cashier there.
She said that the store is experiencing a loss of about Rs 7,000 to Rs 8,000 everyday. "We are open to more viruses and so many people come from outside and touch the products," she said. As of now, no retail stores have got any notices to shut down.
In one of the biggest Bata showroom in CP, the workers are coming for work but fear lingers in the air. "The market has affected, there is no doubt about it. But that is the scenario world over," said the manager at the store.
He said that the whole showroom has been sanitised, while any customer coming from outside has to use sanitiser. "We are taking all precautions, but strict action needs to be taken. Even though the government has taken some harsh decisions," he added.
Many people the correspondent interacted with said that there was a lack of seriousness among the people to fight the issue, where they say
the cases might increase every single day.