Maharashtra Hotels, Restaurants to Open from Monday with 50% Seating Capacity; New Guidelines Issued

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Government on Saturday issued COVID-19 safety guidelines for restaurants and other eateries which have been allowed to reopen from October 5. Hotels, food courts and restaurants can operate from Monday at 50 per cent of their seating capacity.

As per the guidelines, customers should be screened at the entry point for coronavirus symptoms such as high temperature, cough, and cold. Only asymptomatic customers will be allowed inside. Also, putting on face masks will be mandatory, except while eating, the guidelines said. Customers must follow social distancing while waiting for service.

Consent should be obtained from visitors for sharing their details with administrative and health authorities for contact-tracing related activities, the guidelines said. Hand sanitizers must be made available, and payment through digital mode should be encouraged while precautions should be taken during cash transactions.

Rest rooms and hand-wash areas must be cleaned regularly. Plexiglass screens or similar barriers must be erected at counters where interactions with customers occur frequently, the guidelines said. Also, there should be separate entry and exit points. CCTV cameras on the premises must be fully functional and only cooked food should be included in the menu and raw or cold food like salads should be avoided, the guidelines said.

Furniture should be disinfected on a daily basis, the guidelines added.