KUCHING, July 15: Food and beverage (F&B) operators or premises owners will have to bear the costs for health screening and thorough sanitising if a Covid-19 case emerges from their premises.
The State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) gave this warning following its announcement that the F&B sector will be allowed to resume dining-in services effective from tomorrow (July 16).
As per additional standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the sector under Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP), restaurants, eateries and any F&B-related outlets will be ordered to close immediately for 14 days once a Covid-19 case is detected.
In addition, operators and workers will also be issued with compounds.
SDMC thus urged all sectors of the economy permitted to operate to strictly comply with SOPs being enforced as the authorities will not hesitate to take action against any violators.
According to the SOP issued by the Ministry of Local Government and Housing (MLGH) for crowd control into premises, a 1-metre diameter table is limited to two customers while a 1.2-metre diameter table should only have four persons and a 2-metre and above diameter table is meant for six persons.
Seating and table arrangements must also comply with physical distancing of one metre.
The maximum capacity of customers allowed in the premises is limited to 50 per cent of floor size or not exceeding 100 persons at any one time.
Operators are also required to display a poster reminding people on general health and safety protocol including social distancing measures at the premises, as well as on the tables.
Under the health protocol for premises operators, it is compulsory to ensure the premises have good ventilation, proper wearing of face masks by those present at all times and workers are not allowed to eat together in groups without physical distancing during rest time.
For hygiene purposes, operators are encouraged to use biodegradable disposal dining utensils, disinfect their premises daily after operation and use cleaning detergent with sodium hypochlorite approved by the Ministry of Health (MOH) for frequently touched surfaces.
Apart from these conditions, the general SOP of preparing body temperature screening, MySejahtera QR Code for checking-in or manual log books and hand sanitisers for public use still apply. — DayakDaily
