PUNE: Many clubs, bars, restaurants, hotels and event organisers are putting Christmas and New Year’s Eve events on hold in the wake of the new Omicron strain of the coronavirus.
With a few Omicron cases found in the city, event organisers and venue owners are apprehensive about another lockdown being imposed during the peak party season of the year.
The founder of an event management company in Pune said that last year, they suffered a loss of over Rs5 lakh as a Holi event had to be cancelled at the last moment due to the lockdown. “This year, we planned a New Year’s Eve party with guest artists but we are keeping it on hold till we get some clarity on the Covid-19 situation in the city; if there might be a lockdown or implementation of strict regulations, it might not be feasible for us to go ahead with the event,” said the company founder.
Rohen Antony, another event organiser, feels that events may not be cancelled completely, but they preparing to wrap things up early, like last year. “Clubs are anticipating an early curfew in light of cases of the new strain found in the city, but till we get information on regulations through an official order, everything is on as usual. Event companies are hesitant to invest in hiring big artists as they are unclear about the travel restrictions and quarantine regulations,” said Antony.
“We will wait for another week to decide whether to go ahead with the event and on what scale. If there are timing restrictions, early curfew and capacity is further decreased, then we will not be able to afford performances by outstation artists,” said a restaurant-club owner from Koregaon Park.
DJ Yogesh Patil said more than artists, event organisers and venue owners, patrons will be scared to come out to parties if the situation deteriorates and there is another wave caused by the new strain. “The police are taking extra precautions and checking that all clubs and bars follow safety precautions and that they are not operating over the allowed capacity,” said Patil.
Event managers and venue owners are also expressing concern over the panic among patrons ahead of the party season. “People go for parties in groups, mingle and have fun. With the panic caused by the new strain, people will not want to gather in groups or attend such parties. Patrons have been robbed of proper New Year’s Eve parties last year due to the early curfew, so they want to have fun this year,” said a bar manager from Balewadi.
