Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Dining-In at Restaurants in 2020 (For the Time Being)

Okay, boys and girls (and gender non-conforming peeps). It looks like we’re going back to normal – or should we say ‘the new normal’ - after the governmental decision to reopen restaurants and cafés was announced this week. But before everyone runs to their favourite Korean place (because we all know kimchi is life) or organises a late-night (by late we mean 10 pm) kebda and sogo2 sesh with friends, there’s a few things you need to know first. But we guess the silver lining here is that there are now some alternatives to your newly-acquired aesthetic of sitting on your couch in your robe pondering the meaning of life, and drowning in mahshy wara’ ‘enab. Here’s all you need to know about what dining in restaurants is gonna look like from now on, ‘till further notice. You’re welcome.

First of all, all restaurants and cafés – which are now required to close their doors at 10 pm -  can only be occupied at 25% capacity at a time, and need to have disinfecting equipment available at all times for both customers and staff, and hand sanitisers need to be placed at the entrance – because in 2020, a sanitsed kween is our fave. Also, all diners will have their temperature measured as they enter the space, and staff will have their temperature measured every morning before going into work. Crowding at the entrances and exits of the restos and cafés is cancelled. Because some of the most dangerous surfaces are doorknobs and bathroom sinks (which we should all santise on the reg tbh, COVID-19 or not), these surfaces need to be continuously sanitised by the staff at the restaurant or café.

Oh, and because bad ventilation is the perfect breeding ground for the spread of viruses, establishments in closed spaces are required to make sure that there’s proper ventilation in the space, and AC filters need to be consistently cleaned out.

We still don’t know for how long these new rules will be implemented, but what we do know is that it really depends on the situation in the future. But for now, please be a good Samaritan and try to stay safe for yourself and for everyone around you!