There have been 99 per cent postponement or cancellation of weddings following the new Covid protocols of the Delhi government that has limited the guest limit to 20
As Omicron and Covid once again take hold of the people, one of the most affected are wedding planners, hotels, caterers and banquet halls. In Delhi, for example, there have been 99 per cent postponement or cancellation of weddings following the new Covid protocols of the Delhi government that has limited the guest limit to 20.
In a letter addressed to the Delhi Chief Minister and the Deputy CM, representatives from the wedding industry in Delhi, pointed out that they had a few suggestions they would like to present to the Delhi government, while ensuring that all Covid protocols are followed. The wedding industry in Delhi wants the guest limit to be extended to 200 guests or 50 per cent capacity of the venue or according to the formula of ‘4 sqft per person’ as per the size of the venue.
The representatives mentioned that they were in dire straits with the recent updates in Covid protocol that have brought in forced postponements and cancellations of weddings across the state.
“The mutating nature of the virus is as such that a new strain or variant will present itself every couple of months. Shutting down sectors will not be the ideal solution to tackle this and when the economy will suffer then naturally the infrastructure to fight it will also weaken.”
— Wedding industry representatives write to Delhi CM
“The closing has been abrupt and without any fallback plan in place for the entire industry. We are the first to be closed down and the last to be opened,” the letter said. They mentioned that exemptions had been given to rallies, market openings on odd and even system, air travel being allowed to full capacity as well as public transport system and hotels functioning at 50 per cent capacity. But the industry mentioned that no such provisions had been extended to them.
They also said that quite a sizeable number of people had been vaccinated. In such a situation, they were not only suffering losses, but the state would also be losing out on revenue since states like Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh were allowing 100-200 guests as per the Covid guidelines. The letter mentioned, “We are forwarding our revenues to other states, when Delhi can itself have these revenues with strong guidelines in place.”
“The mutating nature of the virus is as such that a new strain or variant will present itself every couple of months. Shutting down sectors will not be the ideal solution to tackle this and when the economy will suffer then naturally the infrastructure to fight it will also weaken,” the wedding industry representatives’ letter pointed out.
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