ADDED releases circular for restaurants cafeterias and food outlets
The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) has released a new circular directing owners of restaurants, cafeterias and food outlets across Abu Dhabi, whether they are located inside or outside malls and shopping centres, to comply with implementing the guidelines related to the health practices and preventive measures aimed at stopping the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.
The new circular provides the rules that will help facilitate the reopening of these food and beverage facilities and enable them to provide services to the community in accordance with the regulations on protecting the health and safety of individuals.
ADDED specified that restaurants should not exceed 30 per cent of its total capacity when receiving customers to ensure that they can maintain an adequate space between individuals. Food outlets should allow only up to two people per table and ensure a distance of at least 2.5 meters between tables.
It further emphasized the importance of daily and continuous sterilization of restaurants, especially tables and chairs after each use. Reusable cutleries such as plates, glass cups and metal spoons are prohibited and must be replaced with disposable ones to make sure they are safe and sterilized for customers’ use.
According to the circular, operations of restaurants should include frequent implementation of practices such as sterilization and other preventive measures to maintain hygiene and cleanliness of cooking utensils, food carts and places where they prepare and serve meals through use of disinfectants and sterilizers as well as disposable and single-use materials. Inspection and monitoring teams from the relevant authorities will review the level of compliance of the facilities in accordance to the set of instructions and conditions.
ADDED further urged owners of restaurants to encourage customers to use electronic payment methods instead of cash payments. Apart from this, they should provide hand sanitizers at their facilities’ entrances and places of payment and ensure that customers and their staff wear masks and gloves which must be often changed during their work shifts. The department also highlighted the necessity of following these measures across various public places.
Under the terms of the circular, the concerned facilities’ staff and workers who show any infection symptoms during the daily body temperature examination will not be allowed to enter the facilities. Instead, they should be sent for test at the nearest health centre. Serving hookah ‘shisha’ will also remain prohibited in all establishments during this period.