KUALA LUMPUR: Eateries can resume dine-in services starting May 4 but it should be done in accordance with stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs) to prevent Covid-19 infection.
In citing Pak Salleh as an example, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Pak Salleh can reopen his restaurant under the relaxed but strictly enforced MCO, which is the Conditional MCO (CMCO), starting Monday.
"So, in the next two days Pak Salleh could go to his restaurant to clean the premises, clean the dishes, spoons, pots and other cooking utensils, arrange the tables and chairs and stock up on grocery items," he said in his special televised address in conjunction with the Labour Day today.
Muhyiddin said social distancing should be observed at all times where tables should be arranged at least two metres from one another to ensure ample of space for customers and employees to walk past.
To ensure a safe distance between dine-in consumers, he said, Pak Salleh and restaurant owners could place a notice on each table stating that only one, two or three customers were allowed per table, depending on the size of the table.
"If it's a small table, maybe only one or two people should be allowed. If it's a big table, three or four diners could sit in. This is up to Pak Salleh to decide."
He said there should also be a line measuring one meter from each other in front of the cashier to ensure customers practice social distancing while making payment.
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.
"Buy face masks. Give them to the employees and make sure they wear face masks all the time. Pak Salleh also has to wear a face mask."
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.
"Therefore, there is actually a lot of work that Pak Salleh has to do before he can reopen the restaurant."
He said these measures were crucial to ensure that no customer of Pak Salleh was infected with Covid-19.
These measures, he said, apply to restaurant owners, food trucks and other food stalls.
"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.