Omicron spread: Uber-exclusive clubs turn to home deliveries, takeaways

Members had started returning in good numbers before Omicron spoilt the scene

The grand white buildings of Kolkata’s colonial-era clubs have fallen quiet again. The virulent Omicron that has swept through the city, which is recording a weekly positivity rate of over 47 per cent, is keeping patrons away. Turnout is down to a trickle and home delivery right now seems to be the only survival strategy.

In other parts of the country, too, these uber-exclusive clubs — where membership waiting can sometimes run into decades and requires a robust personal profile and equally robust recommendations — are struggling to keep things running.

Take the example of Madras Gymkhana Club in Chennai. In September