Chhabed Sathee: The restaurant business has almost come to a standstill after the coronavirus epidemic in the United States banned shoppers from eating inside restaurants. This stalemate has been going on for the last 7 months. As a result, 1 crore 50 lakh 1 thousand employees of 6 lakh 60 thousand 8 hundred 55 restaurants have become almost unemployed. From September 30, the new announcement that customers will be eating inside restaurants in different states of the United States has revived the vibrancy among these businessmen and employees. These restaurants are being fully opened for the customers. However, restaurant authorities will be able to allow up to 25 percent of the capacity of their restaurant to enter at any time.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the restaurant’s permission in a statement last Wednesday. The ban on shoppers entering the restaurant will be lifted from September 30, the announcement said.The decision is being taken as another step towards a return to normalcy in the wake of the epidemic. This permission for 25 percent of shoppers to eat and drink inside a restaurant is seen as a milestone in New York City’s liberation from the coronavirus. This decision is giving the green signal to the tourists and the general public in this tourist city that this city has become tax free and is slowly returning to normalcy.
However, even if opened to shoppers, many restaurants do not seem to be able to get rid of their predicament easily. The economic crisis caused by the corona virus, the reluctance of many Americans to socialize with others, and the climatic restrictions on eating and drinking at restaurants, especially in the coming winter season, will make running a business unfavorable for many.
A plan to allow food and drink inside the restaurant was scrapped by Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor De Blazio considering the situation at the time. By then, the death toll from the corona virus in New York State had exceeded 30,000. But now, for more than a month, the infection rate has dropped below one percent. In this situation, the governor has decided to open these restaurants to the customers to alleviate the frustrations and losses of the restaurant business like some other steps.
According to the governor’s plan, only 25 percent of the tables inside the restaurants can be removed. The outdoor service that restaurants have been allowed to use since last June will not be able to continue in the winter. In this case, the need for internal service in the interest of protecting the restaurant industry has been mentioned in the plan.
Corona infections have also been considered after the restaurant opened. The restaurants are opening right after City’s schools reopen. State officials say 10 percent of infections have been reported in restaurants and bars outside the city. They say a restaurant is not just an owner’s business, a restaurant means its kitchen and the workplace of other service employees. Restaurants are extremely risky places for disease transmission. If the restaurants do not open again, they will face huge financial losses.
It is worth mentioning that there are about 6 lakh 60 thousand 8 hundred 55 restaurants in the United States. About 1 crore 50 lakh 1 thousand employees have become unemployed in these restaurants. Restaurant owners in New York recently filed a 2 billion lawsuit against the governor and mayor, alleging damages caused by the ban on their business. The lawsuit alleges that the ban violated the constitutional rights of 15,000 city restaurants owners.
BP/SM
