Hotel restaurants to be cleared for partial dine-in operations
THE Tourism department will permit partial dine-in operations at hotel restaurants in areas under general community quarantine starting June 15.
The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases approved dine-in restaurant operations up to 30% capacity, requiring establishments to follow government health safety protocols.
Tourism establishments may start to operate if they have a certification from the tourism department. Hotel operations allowed by the government had been limited to accommodations, while restaurants, gyms, and spas in the hotel buildings were not allowed to operate.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat in a statement Sunday said the department is working with the Trade and Labor departments to conduct inspections to monitor compliance with the protocols.
The Department of Trade and Industry has released guidelines on ensuring health safety for dine-in operations, including banning buffets and self-service stations, and prescribing sanitation and contactless transaction measures.
Separately, McDonald’s Philippines in a statement said it has adopted new health safety guidelines for dine-in, assigning safety managers to each of their stores. The manager or other crew will offer sanitizers to customers in-store every 30 minutes.
The crew will serve food at the customers’ tables, and the stores will have floor markers for physical distancing.
Several of its guidelines conform to protocols released by the DTI, including the availability of cashless transactions and trays for cash payments. — Jenina P. Ibañez
