The apex body of hotels and restaurants in the country, Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has urged the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) to make necessary changes in the vaccination guidelines to include banquet halls in hotels as venues for mass immunisation for the corporate sector.
The FHRAI has stated that banquet halls in hotels are better equipped than schools, colleges, or community halls for this purpose.
It further said that during the first lockdown many hotels were requisitioned by local authorities for accommodating doctors and medical workers and also for quarantining Covid-19 patients and hence they are aware of all the safety protocols and are fully capable of conducting mass vaccination at their venues.
“Our country is carrying out one of the world’s biggest vaccination drives. Time is of the essence and the quicker we manage to vaccinate the entire population, the better it will be for the nation. The availability of vaccines is anticipated to only increase from here during which safe and controlled environments will be required to accommodate and vaccinate citizens. Banquet halls in hotels offer just the right kind of venue that will facilitate and expedite the vaccination drive,” says Mr. Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice President, FHRAI.
The FHRAI, however, has expressed regret with reference to some hotels letting out premises to private hospitals for mass immunisation programs for corporates.
It has advised all its member hotels to not indulge in any such endeavour that contravenes the national Covid-19 vaccination guidelines.
According to him, the Indian hotel industry’s total revenue fell roughly 75 per cent in the last financial year.
The industry took a revenue hit of close to Rs.1.30 lakh crore in FY 2020-21. In FY 2019-20, it had earned a revenue of 1.82 lakh crore.
The hospitality industry’s revenue at the beginning of 2021 was below 20 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, and since April 2021 the revenue hasn’t even crossed 5 per cent of that. Engulfed in massive losses and mounting debts due to the pandemic, the hospitality sector in the country is in a very gloomy economic situation.
“Under these extraordinary circumstances, we are hoping that the government could extend its support by allowing us to open banquet venues for mass vaccination. This will give our industry some source of revenue while contributing to the nation in its vaccination drive. The hospitality industry is committed to follow all the health and safety protocols issued by the Government and it has our unwavering support in its efforts to combat the present pandemic,” said Kohli.