Coronavirus crisis: Restaurant association asks members to suspend operations till Mar 31

Amid the growing number of Coronavirus cases in the country, the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) as a precautionary measure has issued an advisory to all its members to shut down operations from March 18 to March 31.

"In view of the serious health risk to lakhs of employees and millions of patrons in the Food Service Sector amidst ever-worsening situation around COVID-19 in India, NRAI, as a responsible industry body, has sent out an advisory to all its Members to shut down their Restaurant's operations from March 18 till 31st March 2020 or till such time when there are no new cases reported for a few days," said an official statement by the NRAI.

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"We can't forget that most of our employees use public transport to commute and they run a huge risk of getting infected and further becoming carriers of the deadly Virus. Hence, in order to avoid any such risk; we advise all our members to shut down their operations and help curtail the spread of the deadly virus," it further read.

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Coronavirus in India

Government is taking all measures necessary to combat the deadly virus. Thermal screening is being carried out on airports across the country. India has banned all foreigners from entering the country. The Ministry has deployed around 30,000 - 35,000 personnel on community surveillance. The government has also allowed private testing facilities to test patients for Coronavirus. Schools and other educational institutions, malls, cinema halls, pubs, gyms and swimming pools have been shut down in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

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The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India has reached 152, including 127 Indians and 25 foreign nationals according to government data on Wednesday morning. The deadly virus has claimed three lives in the country. Maharashtra is the worst-hit state in the country with 42 people testing positive for the infection and one casualty reported in Mumbai on Tuesday. Kerala with 27 cases becomes the second state to report maximum cases of Coronavirus after Maharashtra, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi. The Centre has “strongly advised” Indians to avoid all non-essential travel abroad. The government is also monitoring all suspected cases and has issued preventive advisories.

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