London Imbau Business Authority Stays Open During Queen Elizabeth II Cemetery

Queen Elizabeth's coffin was buried at Westminster Hall. (Sourceshot of YouTube channel Now This News)

JAKARTA - London authorities are urging businesses to remain open at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral next week, amid fears the closure of the hotel will cause disruption to city visitors.

At least one million people are expected to travel to the capital for the funeral of the late king and his funeral, which took place at Westminster Abbey, central London, on September 19 at 11 am.

The mourners traveling to London by train for the queen's funeral were encouraged to stay for lunch to avoid congestion on the rail network, although this may be hampered by mass closures for bank holidays.

London Raya authorities, which oversee the governance of the capital, have reportedly urged businesses to keep their doors open for the event.

Authorities have personally suggested, "it would be very helpful if the hospitality business in London, particularly in our city center, was ready to open their doors to guests who come in the coming days and on the day of His Majesty's funeral", according to the Financial Times.

The Queen's death resulted in widespread public sorrow, prompting many businesses to pledge to close on her funeral as a sign of respect. Most hotel areas are expected to remain open on Monday, but to what extent is unclear.

McDonald's said it would close all of its restaurants until 5 p.m., to allow customers and staff to pay their respects.

While the Fridays restaurant chain said it would close at 3pm, to "reflect the government of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and observe the important moments in this history".

Separately, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer, Lidl and Asda are the latest retailers to confirm they will close the outlets on Monday.

M&S said it would close stores and stop shipping to customers, to allow employees to pay their respects.

"We are all at M&S and of course across the country and abroad feel a sense of loss, real and deep sadness over the death of His Majesty, as well as great respect for the blessing with which His Majesty King Charles III and the wider royal family have led this nation in our sorrow," said Stuart Machin, chief executive of M&S., reported by The National News September 16.

"It is true that we made changes to operational arrangements on funeral day, to ensure our colleagues across all stores and our distribution networks can participate, while supporting customers as they show their respect as well."

He said there would be "limited exceptions in London and Windsor", where M&S would serve customers who paid homage to the queen.

Perels are not required to close their doors on funeral day, and others can choose to open reduced hours, as many people do on other bank holidays.