Overview

• The labour department issued the Oct. 1 circular and directed district administrations and police to stop obstructing eligible businesses from staying open round the clock.
• Establishments serving or selling alcohol — including permit rooms, beer bars, wine shops, hookah parlours, discotheques and dance bars — must continue to follow timing limits set by the Dec. 19, 2017 notification.
• The allowance covers shops, eateries, malls, service outlets and theatres, with cinemas already freed from earlier caps by a Jan. 31, 2020 notification.
• The policy rests on the 2017 Act that defines a day as 24 hours from midnight and mandates at least 24 consecutive hours of weekly rest for every employee.
• Industry bodies welcomed expected gains for the night-time economy but flagged practical issues such as safety, staffing and consistent enforcement, while broader proposals to extend daily work hours remain under review.