A rush to be Covid-19 compliant

GEORGE TOWN: It was a very cautious re-opening for food operators here with many rushing to get their workers fully jabbed rather than hurrying to bring in dine-in customers.

A check in the city by The Star yesterday found that many restaurants were not ready to welcome dine-in guests as they could not meet the criteria set by the authorities such as having fully vaccinated staff.

George Town OCPD Asst Comm Soffian Santong said food operators and restaurants must adhere to the ruling before they resume dine-in service or risk being slapped with fines.

“We will conduct inspections from time to time to ensure the SOP is being observed not only by the public, but also the food operators,” he said.

ACP Soffian said if the workers at food outlets had not been fully vaccinated, restaurants and food operators could only do takeaways.

On Monday, state deputy police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Fisol Salleh, in a statement, reminded restaurant owners and food operators to ensure their staff had been fully vaccinated.

“They must be able to produce vaccine recipient declaration when we conduct our operation at their premises.

“They should also only allow customers who have completed their vaccination into the place,” he said.

Deputy Comm Fisol said operators must ensure the capacity for guests remained at 50% and enough physical distancing at the tables.

“They must also ensure the ventilation system is in good working condition,” he said.

Deputy Comm Fisol advised those fully vaccinated who wanted to cross districts to prepare a screenshot of their vaccination digital certificate for policemen at roadblocks.

In Kota Baru, many food shop owners have opted to disallow dine-ins because they are not willing to take the risk of causing the spread of new Covid-19 cases at their premises.

A Bernama check found some eateries and restaurant owners including cafes still did not allow fully vaccinated customers to dine in although they are allowed to do so from yesterday.

Lieniey Nasi Kerabu Tumis owner Zaini Ahmad, 51, said he did not allow dine-ins at his eatery because the daily Covid-19 cases in the state were still high and unsettling.

“I opt to put it off first because I feel the current situation is still not suitable yet for the relaxation.

My workers have not received the Covid-19 vaccine injections. This makes me reluctant to take the risk as this might spread the virus outbreak at my premises,” he said.

Kafe Drum & Desk manager Chew Li Mun, 30, said the cafe planned to allow dine-in from next month.

She said business was down by over 50% when dine-ins were not allowed, but her safety was a top priority.

“It is okay to suffer a bit of loss because safety and good health must be prioritised. Currently, sale depends a lot on walk-ins as well as orders via a food delivery application.

“I plan to allow dine-in from September after my 12 workers complete their two doses of the vaccine,” she said.

Checks found that some cafe owners in Kota Baru have placed the “dineincanwait” hashtag on their Instagram posts to inform their followers of the postponement.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that fully vaccinated individuals in states under Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan are allowed to dine at food outlets.