Maharashtra: Hotels, food courts, restaurants and bars in the state resume their services

Mumbai, Oct 05: Hotels, food courts, restaurants and bars in the state resume their services today, months after they were closed in the wake of COVID19 pandemic. The services are resuming with 50% capacity from today.

A separate Standard Operating Procedure was issued by the tourism department for precautions to be taken while operating these establishments, an official release said.

1) 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.

2) Also, putting on face masks will be mandatory, except while eating, the guidelines said.

3) Customers must follow social distancing while waiting for service.

4) Consent should be obtained from visitors for sharing their details with administrative and health authorities for contact-tracing related activities, the guidelines said.

5) Hand sanitizers must be made available, and payment through digital mode should be encouraged while precautions should be taken during cash transactions.

6) 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.

7) Also, there should be separate entry and exit points.

8) 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.

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