Daily Times

The Lahore Restaurant Association (LRA) along with restauranteurs and owners of eateries protested against the complete closure of their businesses in order to curb the spread of coronavirus on Thursday.

The LRA released a statement which read, “There are estimated 1,500,000 employees who will suffer if this policy is implemented. Already, there was a closer of restaurants for almost eight months and this will be the final nail in the coffin of the restaurant industry. The government needs to help build this industry and give it the status of an industry. While the government has blessed tourism to an industry level status, this should be known as the hospitality industry. If there is no tourism, there is no hospitality.”

Also on Tuesday, hundreds of workers and owners of the restaurants in Gulberg area blocked the busy Main Boulevard in protest against closure of their businesses by the administration to curb coronavirus spread.

The protesters gathered at the Liberty Market intersection and blocked the both sides of the Main Boulevard for traffic, creating problems for the citizens, especially motorists, who remained trapped in the congestion there for three to four hours.

Also on Tuesday, hundreds of workers and owners of the restaurants in Gulberg area blocked the busy Main Boulevard in protest against closure of their businesses by the administration to curb coronavirus spread

Those trapped in the traffic congestion lamented inaction by the traffic wardens and police, allowing the situation to deteriorate further.

The protesters were chanting slogans against the government for first closing indoor dining at the restaurants following an alarming surge in the coronavirus cases in Lahore, and then also banned the outdoor service.

They were of the view that the hotels and restaurants had already suffered huge losses during the first and second lockdown, regretting the government did not provide any relief to them to compensate for the situation.

They warned that if the recent lockdown continued for a week, they would have to close their businesses because they could not bear any further losses.

They said thousands of poor workers associated with the eateries and their families would be starved if they were not allowed to work.

They demanded the government to allow the hotels and restaurants to continue outdoor service and relax the curbs on their businesses. Meanwhile, the police closed the Main Boulevard at different spots to divert the traffic to alternative and side lanes.