Manila allows dine-in services

MANILA, Philippines — The Manila city government on Monday allowed the opening of restaurants but only at 30 percent capacity.

Mayor Isko Moreno called on restaurants to start offering dine-in services provided they comply with minimum health protocols to curb the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Permit and licensing office chief Levi Facundo warned restaurant operators to use thermal scanners and ensure their employees wear face masks.

He also said the sink used by employees must be separate from that used by customers and that restaurants must assign an employee to monitor social distancing and table spacing.

Facundo warned that establishments that will not comply with health protocols face closure.

The city government, however, will be lenient on the wearing of personal protective equipment by restaurant employees, “which is not reasonable if you are a cook and working in the kitchen,” he said.

“Under the new normal, customers at a table must sit diagonally in order to observe physical distancing and the management should implement the ‘no mask, no entry’ policy,” Facundo said.

Facundo appealed to the public for understanding and cooperation as COVID-19 cases continue to rise.

“We have to open businesses in order for the economy to keep going, but we ask everyone to cooperate because at the end of the day, our life is more important than anything else,” he said.