Everything You Should Know About The Safe Reopening of Restaurants in Lebanon
Restaurants and cafes in Lebanon have now reopened as of Monday, May 4th, as a part of Lebanon's 5-step plan to reopen the country .
The Ministry of Tourism, in coordination with the Ministry of Labor, the Coronavirus Follow-up Committee, and the union of owners of restaurants, cafes, clubs, and patisseries, issued a generalization regarding health and safety guidelines for reopening of restaurants and COVID-19:
#1 Restaurants and cafes to assign a Point of Contact
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At least one Point of Contact within the organization must be assigned to coordinate and supervise as follows:
Their tasks will be to collect updated contact information for all employees (i.e. housing address, home phone number, mobile one number, mobility method, contact list of family members and friends in case of suspicion in any case)
This information must be readily available to be provided to Ministry inspectors when necessary.
All employees must have the contact number of the Point of Contact to call him/her if they are ill or hospitalized.
The Point of Contact is accountable to both the business owner and the official authorities to ensure that employees adhere to occupational safety practices to counter COVID-19.
#2 General Safety Requirements
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Notices must be placed at the entrance stating that no one with fever or symptoms of COVID-19 is allowed to enter the restaurant or cafe.
Ensure that all entering the restaurant or cafe, including employees, customers, and contractors, are subject to temperature check and verification.
A hand sanitizer (at least 70% alcohol content) should be placed at the entrance to the restaurant and cafe and inside the hall.
#3 Maintaining social distancing
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Everyone must adhere to social distancing and keep a distance of 1.5 meters between one person and another (except for single-family members and a group of friends).
Seating places must be reduced to 30% of their capacity while leaving a distance of 1.5 meters between one table and another at this stage ( the second stage ), to increase to 50% in the fourth stage.
Customers should not be allowed to be in the waiting area at the bar. Therefore, a plan must be developed to ensure the social distancing between customers when waiting to sit: it can include marking floors, waiting outside while ensuring a safe distance between one another or staying in cars... or encouraging customers to call in advance to reserve their tables.
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Restaurants and cafes must have a stock of cleaning materials and sterilizers approved by the concerned authority and should be used according to the manufacturer's instructions.
The building must be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized periodically.
Most contact surfaces should be cleaned and sanitized frequently, such as door handles, power sockets, telephones, POS machines...
Tables, chairs, and seasoning boxes should be cleaned and sterilized immediately after the customer leaves.
The menu should be cleaned and sanitized immediately after use. If they are not autoclavable, they must be encapsulated to facilitate their disinfection, or replaced with single-use regulations or digital screens (easy to sterilize).
The check folder should be cleaned and disinfected immediately after use. If it is not sterilizable, a replacement must be used. If possible, businesses must encourage payments with credit cards, mobile applications, or the internet.
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Water taps and toilets must be cleaned and sterilized periodically. Bathrooms should always be equipped with liquid soap and paper towels.
It is preferable to use single-use utensils, plates, and cups, especially if the dishwasher is not available. The temperature of dishwashers must reach 82 degrees Celsius.
Clean dishes, cups, and utensils should be stored properly to prevent contamination. It is advised to encapsulate the cutlery (napkins, for example) to prevent contamination and to provide customers with wrapped straws only (for drinks).