After more than two months, hotels, malls and restaurants gear up to receive people from Monday in the city.
The managements have been busy conducting spraying (disinfecting) activities on their premises on Sunday. Hotels and restaurant owners have been taking additional care for their customers in seating arrangement and at rooms.
Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) Divisional Manager T.G. Prasada Reddy said that rooms in APTDC hotels at Araku, Tyda and city region were already sprayed with disinfectants. “We briefed our staff about the guidelines issued by the government and measures to be taken while receiving guests, at the restaurant, about cleaning rooms and others. Bookings have been made online,” he said.
Restaurant managements were seen preparing the premises making sure the tables are far from each other and encouraging online methods while ordering food as well as making payments.
“Before entering the cafe, we check temperature of the customers and provide sanitiser. We made sure that tables are at two-metre distance from each other. We are providing QR code scanning facility so that customers need not touch menu chart,” said N. Prasanth, owner of Brew ‘n’ Bistro, a cafe from Lawsons Bay Colony.
Most of the malls in the Jagadamba region and Dabagardens have to be closed due to strict instructions by the district administration in the wake of increase in COVID-19 cases in the district. However, malls in other areas (except containment zones) will start operating from Monday morning.
‘Darshan’ arrangements
Temples are also seen gearing up to open from Monday from 6 a.m. Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple, Simhachalam, a major temple from the region, will reopen and devotees will be allowed for ‘darshan’ from 6 a.m to 6 p.m. Executive Officer M. Venkateswara Rao made arrangements to ensure physical distancing of devotees.
Assistant Commissioner, Endowments Department, Visakhapatnam, K. Shanthi, has asked managers and authorities of temples in the district to strictly implement guidelines given by the government. She said that devotees should compulsorily wear masks. After washing feet, devotees need to wash hands with sanitiser and enter temple. She said that devotees are not allowed to touch statues of deities or ‘Dwaja Sthambas.’
