Athar Sultan Chawla, Convener All Pakistan Restaurant Association (APRA), while opposed the ban imposed by Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shalwani on indoor dining in the restaurants despite taking all necessary precautions to prevent coronavirus and said that the ban on indoor dining would completely destroy the restaurant industry and would sink billions of rupees’ investment. In a statement, Athar Chawla said that the SOPs in all restaurants are being strictly implemented. Even those who come to eat, including restaurant workers, are advised to implement SOPs. However, banning indoor dining is tantamount to deliberately ruining the industry. ”During the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants were closed for a long time which caused huge financial losses and now once again unwarranted sanctions will not only bankrupt the restaurant industry but also cause millions of workers to be unemployed”, he feared. Athar Chawla added that the government had already issued a directive to close restaurants till 10 pm, which is being strictly enforced, but in order to prevent COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurants should be closed or their business hours should be severely restricted, which is not the right solution. APRA Convener opined that the government should take steps in consultation with stakeholders, that are acceptable to all and not affect the economy.
