Hotels, restaurant owners want to open doors after Aug 5

Hotel and restaurant owners today urged the government to allow them to open doors after August 5 to keep afloat at least 60,000 enterprises and their more than 30 lakh staff.

The leaders of Bangladesh Restaurant Owners' Association (BROA) made the call in a press conference at Dhaka Reporter's Unity.

Imran Hasan, secretary general of the BROA, said at least 2 crore people are involved directly and indirectly in the hotel and restaurant sector, who are living inhuman life as 80 per cent of restaurants are closed now.

"We incurred a loss of around Tk 80,000 crore to Tk 90,000 crore since the first wave of the pandemic. Many of us are selling their assets while some are selling their hotels and restaurants as they cannot bear the loss anymore."

"So, we have urged the government to let us open the hotels and restaurants," he said.

"If it is not possible to allow us to run our hotels and restaurants in full swing because the pandemic, then the permission can be given to use 50 per cent of our sitting arrangements."