Hyderabad: Hotels, pubs unsure over New Year celebrations

Hotels and Restaurants Association of Telangana to hold a meeting soon to arrive at a decision

Hyderabad: Uncertainty looms large over New Year eve celebrations on the night of December 31 at hotels, clubs, pubs and restaurants in the city this time around due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The authorities in Bengaluru and Bhubaneswar have already banned the celebrations to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Every year, managements of several star hotels, clubs, pubs and restaurants in the twin cities organise celebrations on a grand note inviting celebrities from Mumbai and Delhi to entertain guests. This time, the managements are yet to take a decision on organising such celebrations.

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According to a hotelier, organising a New Year eve event is an expensive affair. Right from roping in celebrities and popular singers to providing accommodation to them and making arrangements for more than 500 participants after taking permission from various government departments is a big task.

“We used to collect Rs 5,000 plus from people wanting to take part in the celebrations. This time, we cannot organise a major event because of the pandemic. But for a limited 200 members, we cannot significantly increase the price of entry tickets and also make elaborate arrangements,” he said.

Moreover, the managements are not sure as to how many people would attend the celebrations in spite of making proper arrangements, adhering to Covid-19 safety protocols. “It’s too risky this time,” another hotelier said, adding that it would be difficult to control people in maintaining physical distancing after consuming alcohol.

Pradeep Kumar Dutt of Hotels and Restaurants Association of Telangana said a decision on organising New Year celebrations would be taken at a meeting to be held with all the hoteliers within three days. “We will get clarity only after the meeting as there are several issues associated with conducting New Year celebrations due to Covid-19,” he said.

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