Restaurants can resume dine-in from May 4 under strict health standard operating procedures (SOPs) to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Conditions to follow:
- Tables and chairs at least two metres apart
- Number of people sitting at a table to be limited based on size of table
- Marks at least one metre apart on the floor at the payment counter
- Hand sanitizers at payment counters
- Face mask on workers at all times
- Daily temperature checks for workers
- Body temperature checks for customers
- Record of customers’ contact details for future contact tracing
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said eateries must require workers and customers to observe physical distancing on their premises by arranging tables and chairs at least two metres apart.
“There must also be signs on tables that it is only for one or two people to dine at, depending on the size of the table.
“Also place marks on the floor at the payment counter, at least one metre apart, to ensure that customers observe social distancing while they wait to pay,” he said in a special Labour Day address on the movement control order (MCO) today.
Muhyiddin said restaurant owners should provide hand sanitisers at the counter as customers who have made their payment could use the sanitiser to clean their hands.
Besides that, he said, eateries should have sufficient soap and hand wash facilities.
Restaurant owners must buy enough number of table cleaning sprays. Every time after a customer eats, instruct the employee to clean the table as quickly as possible before the next customer is seated.
All workers must wear a face mask at all times and must undergo daily temperature checks.
Muhyiddin said if possible, on the first day the restaurant opens, owners should check the body temperature of customers before allowing them in by using an appropriate temperature scanner.
“Finally, record the customers’ names and phone numbers and the date and time they arrived at the restaurant. This is important because if there is a positive Covid-19 case involving one of the customers, others who dined on the same day could be traced.
“If all eateries strictly adhere to these SOPs, customers can dine in and buy food, feeling safe. If you’re in doubt, you can take away. No need to eat at the restaurant. This might be better,” he added.
These measures, he said, apply to restaurant owners, food trucks and other food stalls.
The MCO is still in force until May 12 but Muhyiddin said “almost all” sectors of the economy and activities, except those that involve mass gatherings and close body contact, can start re-opening from May 4 provided they adhere to health SOPs.