Bhubaneswar: The steep hike in Covid-19 cases has now prompted the authorities of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) to impose stricter curbs on hotels and restaurants in different parts of the city.
With an objective to restrict congregation and prevent spread of Covid-19, BMC has now decided not to allow dining in hotels/ restaurants as a preventive measure.
Though such order was issued by the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) on April 19, top sources in the BMC Commissioner’s office said that the civic body has now decided to enforce such guidelines in the city from today.
“Hotels, restaurants shall not allow outside persons (other than their in-house resident guests) to dine inside the hotel and its restaurants due to compliance of Covid protocols. However, hotels, restaurants can serve take away food to customers, buyers and clients. Such institutions can take online orders and deliver take away food to the customers,” the SRC order read.
As per official sources, no customer will henceforth be allowed to eat food in restaurants. Only take-away will be allowed in restaurants and other food joints and eateries, BMC sources said.
Sources said that like the previous year’s guidelines, thermal screening at these joints will be made mandatory while the employees would have to undergo Covid-19 tests every 15 days.
A senior official said that only online/home delivery of food items will promoted as there has been a steady rise in the number of daily Covid-19 cases in Bhubaneswar.
The city had reported 581 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday. It is now for the past few days that there has been a sudden surge in the Covid infections in Bhubaneswar.
On Tuesday, the BMC had restricted the entry of devotees at religious institutions including temples, mosques and churches by issuing an order. The restrictions came into effect from today.
On Monday, the civic body had issued stricter guidelines for market places, haats and public parks of the city in view of the Covid surge. As per the decision, the daily haats and markets will be decentralised for strict enforcement of Covid-19 norms and proper compliance of social distancing guidelines as well.
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