You will be able to dine-in at your favorite restaurant and fast food joints again when the metro modifies its quarantine status again on June 16.
According to a press release from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Inter-Agency Task Force against Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved health protocols that restaurants and fast food joints have placed in their establishments. This is in anticipation of the changing of the status of the current quarantine status to a modified general community quarantine or MGCQ which will be in effect beginning June 16.
This was the decision made after dine-in demonstrations were held last May 31 to check the compliance of such food establishments according to the Guidelines on Minimum Health Protocol for Dine-in Restaurants and Fastfood Establishments. Three restaurants participated in the demonstration which led to the approval of the guidelines and the recommendation of the reopening of dine-in operations.
As per the guidelines, all dine-in food establishments will implement this as its standard dine-in procedure upon entry: customers with face masks should sanitize their hands before being escorted to an assigned table with a corresponding number. Customers will be able to choose their order on food menus placed on the properly sanitized tables.
These guidelines will need to be implemented in all when food establishments are reopened to the public.
Here are the other dine-in guidelines that you need to know when you wish to dine-in:
- No mask, no entry" policy will be enforced.
- Temperature readings of all customers will be taken prior to entry.
- A health checklist must be filled out before entry.
- Social distancing of at least 1-meter distance on all sides will be in enforced in both the seating arrangements and the queue with proper dividers and visual markings installed.
- There will be a maximum number of people allowed inside the restaurants.
- The restaurant will institute a regular sanitation schedule in 10-minute intervals for sanitation in between customers dining-in.
- A system of contactless order-taking and provisions for single-use and non-single use of food menus per table will be installed.
- The restaurant will provide alternative methods of payment, if applicable.
- The restaurant will provide alternative methods of ordering and picking up orders.
Furthermore, the restaurant will also be required to provide the following:
- Clean trash bins for all used papers and tissues.
- Clean washrooms and toilets with sufficient soap, water, tissue, and toilet paper.
- Rubbing alcohol that can be easily sprayed on the hands.
Restaurants are allowed to operate at 50% capacity effective June 1 but areas under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) and general community quarantine (GCQ) will need to wait for announcements for their dates of reopening.
The complete set of guidelines for both the food establishment and the diners can be found on the DTI website.
*This story originally appeared on Yummy.ph. Minor edits have been made by the Preview.ph editors.
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