HRAWI assures Maharashtra that it is safe to restart hotels, restaurants

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) has assured the Maharashtra government that it is safe to restart operations of hotels and restaurants.

HRAWI informed Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray that it will be taking all necessary precautions while opening the sector.

The association will launch a COVID-19 Food Safety Training and Certification programme by the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI)/HRAWI and a desktop audit programme which deals with all required compliances.

HRAWI has called for government’s support on certain aspects to revive the industry such as bar opening, property tax, excise fees, electricity bill issues & industrial tariff. It also sought a blanket permission for using open spaces during the pandemic and support from the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation in order to pay salaries to the employees.

The industry had offered rooms to quarantine health workers and meals for the needy to lend a helping hand to the government.

The Chief Minister assured the association that the government is working on reopening protocols and has appealed the industry to take the necessary precautions. It is also expected that all the categories of hotels, be it 5-stars or restaurants have to comply with the government protocols.

 The Tourism Minister addressed the members of the association and assured them support. “We will reopen in a phased manner to avoid any backlash,” he said.