Restaurants allowed to open under MGCQ

CEBU, Philippines —  Restaurants and other food establishments in Cebu and other areas under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) were allowed to accept dine-in customers at 75 percent of their capacity starting yesterday.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in a Memorandum Circular 20-39, has expanded the dine-in capacity of food establishments to 75 percent from 50.

For GCQ areas, dine-in capacity was increased to 50 percent from 30 percent.

The operation of restaurants’ dine-in services is allowed until 11 p.m.

“Thus, local government units are enjoined to adjust curfew hours up to 12 midnight to allow greater daily turnover of dine-in services and enhance income opportunities for workers” the DTI memorandum read.

Cebu province, except for Talisay City and the municipalities of Minglanilla and Consolacion, is now under the less stringent MGCQ.

But the existing health protocols like physical distancing must be continuously observed, said DTI.

In the new memo, a family living in same household is allowed to dine together in one table. But the family must show proof that the members are living in same address and their table is distanced by at least one meter from other customers’ tables.

It also allowed the fast food businesses to serve “all kinds of foods and beverages, including alcoholic drinks, provided that a customer shall only be allowed a maximum of two individual servings of any alcoholic beverage.”

Customers or workers exhibiting coronavirus symptoms will not be allowed to enter the establishment, said DTI.

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia is set to amend her Executive Order (EO) No. 20, which outlines the MGCQ guidelines in the province, to incorporate the stipulations under the new memo.

“I have instructed my chief-of-staff Atty. Frank Dinsay to go over the DTI guidelines 20-39. Maayo ning balita sa atong mga restaurants kay i-allow na ang 75 percent nga capacity. Gawas niana gi-extend pud ang curfew,” Garcia said.  KQD (FREEMAN)