Bus operators, hoteliers and restaurant owners heaved a sigh of relief after the Jharkhand government on Wednesday lifted the Covid-induced restrictions on their operations after over two months.

According to the new guidelines issued by the Jharkhand government, inter-district buses can operate with their seating capacity adhering to standard operating procedures from Thursday though the partial lockdown would continue till further orders.

“We are happy that the government has agreed to our demands for the last few weeks to let us resume our operations so that our staff and we can sustain ourselves. We are incurring huge losses and our staff are staring at starvation. We have told all our staff to ensure mandatory use of masks by passengers and also carry out regular sanitisation of bus seats. We might also start thermal scanning of passengers,” said Krishna Mohan Singh, president of the Ranchi Bus Owners’ Association.

The restaurant and bar operators termed the move to lift restrictions as a delayed decision but still welcomed it.

“It should have been done in mid-June itself when the cases started declining. Anyway we would have adhered to strict Covid protocols and prevented gathering. The situation is such that we are neck deep in financial crisis due to the lockdown which was imposed on April 22. However, we welcome the decision of the government and would operate with the mandatory 50 per cent capacity,” said Gurusharan Singh, a senior functionary of the Jharkhand Restaurant and Bar Association and a Ranchi-based restaurant owner.

The directive also allowed shops and other establishments across the state to open till 8pm (from the earlier 4pm) but the weekend lockdown (from 8pm on Saturday till 6am on Monday) will continue. Banquet halls and community halls have also been allowed to open with a maximum of 50 people.

In another significant decision, the government also allowed stadiums, gymnasiums and parks to open from Thursday. There will be a prohibition on gathering of more than 50 people in such places.

Entrance examinations allowed by the Union government can be held. However, exams to be held by the state government will continue to be postponed.

There will be no requirement of e-passes for inter-district travel in the state.

E-passes will remain mandatory for inter-state movement in private vehicles but for movement within a district, no e-passes will be required. Religious places and educational institutions would continue to remain closed.