Summary of Measures for Opening Restaurants Inside Malls and Standalone Restaurants

At the moment, almost all types of restaurants have been allowed to open with the exception being pubs and bars, which will have to wait until the last phase. However, they are not open with full options because they still have to comply with the regulations issued by the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) and other government measures.

There are a lot of regulations and the details differ for restaurants inside malls and standalone restaurants which may confuse some entrepreneurs. That’s why we’re here to summarize the measures and recommendations for restaurants in malls and standalone restaurants.

• Summary of Measures/Recommendations for Opening Restaurants Inside Malls and Standalone Restaurants
• Bangkok Communicable Disease Committee
• Recommendations from the Department of Health
• thaichana.com, a Platform for Malls, Shops and Customers Which Collects Data for Covid Prevention

Summary of Measures/Recommendations for Opening Restaurants Inside Malls and Standalone Restaurants

                        The restaurant-related CCSA regulations posted on the Royal Thai Government Gazette on 1 May 2020 are as follows:

Compulsory Measures

– Floors and surfaces frequently exposed to contact by people are to be cleaned before and after service, and waste is to be removed daily.

– Operators, employees and customers must wear surgical or cloth masks.

– Stations for washing hands with soap or alcohol gel or disinfectant must be provided.

– Tables and chairs as well as walkways must be spaced at least one meter apart.

– The number of customers must be limited to prevent crowding.

Additional Measures

– Providing measures for screening symptoms of illness, fever, coughing, sneezing or colds in operators, employees and customers.

– Reducing the time needed to perform an activity to only as long as necessary while avoiding contact with one another.

– Abstaining from alcoholic beverages in places where food is sold.

– Providing a waiting area with seats or standing spaces at least one meter apart.

– Possibly adding the use of a mobile phone-based tracking application as deemed fitting or implementing a control measure in some areas by recording information and reports.

Both the compulsory and secondary measures are implemented in restaurants in malls and standalone restaurants, while pubs and bars remain under lockdown. All of the items in the measures are the basic procedures every type of restaurant must implement. Now, let’s take a look at Bangkok’s measures and regulations. (Regulations may differ, depending on the province, but the basics should be within the scope of the compulsory measures and CCSA measures or even stricter.)

The food-related measures issued by the Bangkok Communicable Disease Committee are as follows:

– Seats in restaurants must be spaced 1.5 meters apart.

– Restaurants have to check the temperatures of all employees and customers.

– Each person waiting in line to purchase food must strictly keep a distance of 1.5 meters from others.

– Shabu, suki and barbeque/grill restaurants must not allow customers to cook their own food. Customers are to order the food and the food is to be served by the employees.

–  Rice and curry shops have to provide a clear partition to separate the customers and food.

– Buffets must stop providing services where customers dish up their own food and instead have customers order from a menu.

– Restaurants must not serve alcoholic beverages and customers are not allowed to bring alcoholic beverages into any restaurant for consumption.

– Restaurants must provide hand sanitizing gel, restrooms must be cleaned every hour and tables and chairs must be disinfected after every use by a customer.

– Restaurants with air conditioners are to turn the air conditioners off for ventilation and cleaning every two hours and a sign with the cleaning schedule must be posted in front of restaurants.

– Employees must wear surgical or cloth masks, face shields, gloves and aprons, and always wash their hands before cooking and serving customers.

Recommendations from the Department of Health

            The Department of Health is another agency that has recommended procedural guidelines for restaurant entrepreneurs, food handlers and buyers/consumers who use their services. The details are as follows:

Procedural Guidelines for Entrepreneurs

– Screen entrepreneurs, food handlers and buyers by observing or inquiring about symptoms or using a thermometer. If any fever, coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge, labored breathing or body temperature of 37.5 degrees Celsius is detected, advise the person to see a doctor.

–  Everyone must wear a cloth or surgical mask throughout the service period.

– Keep a distance of at least 1 – 2 meters between people, stands, tables and chairs for eating and lines for buying products and paying.

– Provide customers with an adequate number of stations for washing hands with soap and water or alcohol gel.

– Clean the floor of the food cooking/distribution area, dining tables and chairs and frequently contacted surfaces with cleaning solutions or disinfectants before and after every use/service. If restrooms are provided, focus on areas of risk such as the bidet sprayer handles, toilet seats, flush handles, urinals, faucets, sink faucet handles, door latches or knobs, etc.

– Implement measures for preventing food contamination.  For example, cooked food should be completely covered, kept at a height of at least 60 centimeters from the floor and heated every two hours; utensils are to be used for handling or dishing up the food; cooked food, raw food, vegetables and fruits must be separated; Food must not be placed directly on the floor; customers must not be allowed to handle cooked, ready-to-eat food with their bare hands and containers used must be appropriate for each type of food.

– Arrange the environment of the food center by doing things like providing a suitable environment with enough personal dining containers/utensils such as plates, spoons, forks, cups and serving spoons (personal); providing disposable paper napkins; providing a system for ordering food or reserving tables in advance, as well an online payment system, for convenience and to reduce contact between customers.

– Prescribe measures for reducing crowds such as limiting the number of people per area; limiting time for sitting and eating; not offering any activity or service that would cause customers to gather; such as having a performance with people or live music and refraining from distributing and consuming alcoholic beverages, etc.

– Provide lidded waste bins inside food centers. Collect the waste, place it in bags and completely seal the bags before sending them out for proper disposal.

– Communicate and provide information about ways to prevent the transmission of Covid-19, such as how to properly wear a face mask, how to wash hands properly, etc., via various channels.

Procedural Guidelines for Food Handlers and Operators

– If symptoms of illness, such as fever, coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge or labored breathing are experienced, stop working and see a doctor immediately.

– Wear a cloth or surgical mask and wash hands with soap and water or alcohol gel before coming into contact with food, after using the restroom and after touching anything dirty.

– Implement measures to prevent food contamination.  For example, food handlers have to wear aprons, hats or equipment for covering hair while cooking and serving newly cooked food; use the appropriate containers for each type of food; completely cover cooked food, keep it at least 60 centimeters from the floor and heat it every two hours; use utensils for handling or dishing up food while separating cooked food, raw food, fruits and vegetables; do not place any type of food directly on the floor; prevent customers from using their hands to select or handle fresh meat/cooked, ready-to-eat food directly, etc.

– Avoid close contact with customers.  For example, keep a distance of 1 – 2 meters from one another, provide a system for ordering food/reserving tables in advance, provide online payment options, have equipment for receiving cash, etc.

– Cleaners and washers of dishes and equipment have to wear rubber gloves, rubber aprons and shin-high rubber boots. Long tongs are to be used for waste collection. Waste is to be put in bags and the bags are to be completely sealed. Hands are to be washed after every operation. After work each day, shower and change clothes as soon as possible.

Procedural Guidelines for Buyers/Consumers

– Wear a cloth or surgical mask. If any symptoms of illness such as fever, coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge or labored breathing is experienced, refrain from going to food centers and see a doctor immediately.

– Wash hands with soap and water or alcohol gel before and after service.

– Keep a distance of at least 1 – 2 meters from other people.

– Plan or opt for alternative food-purchasing formats such as preparing a menu and ordering food in advance or ordering food using food delivery services via online systems for speed and to avoid contact with food centers/food handlers/customers.

www.thaichana.com, a Platform for Malls, Shops and Customers Which Collects Data for Covid Prevention

Today, many people are probably getting used to checking in and out of malls, shops, banks, etc. with “Thai Chana”, the government’s platform for collecting data from malls, shops and customers in order to prevent Covid-19. If an infected person is found in any area, they will know who went to the same areas as the infected person.  In this way, they can track down those people in order to treat or quarantine them. The system also screens the number of people in each shop and notifies the user about whether the maximum number of people for each round has been reached and how many more people the shop can take in order to reduce crowding.

Shops can register via the website www.thaichana.com. There will be steps you have to follow. Once all the steps are complete, you’ll receive a QR code. You can then post the QR code at your shop or your shop’s communication channels for your customers, so your customers can scan the code to check in and out, while the information can be collected.

The Thai Chana is not mandatory for shops. The government only asks for shops to cooperate in using it so shops can participate in helping to prevent and reduce the risk of spread Covid-19, but mall regulations might make it mandatory for shops to use the platform.

And this concludes the summary of the measures/recommendations for opening both restaurants in malls and standalone restaurants. Mainly, you have to comply with the CCSA compulsory and secondary measures as well as the local measures and bans like those in Bangkok. Additional measures will depend on the entrepreneurs’ ability to provide additional measures to build consumer confidence, so they’ll return to use their services. The more confidence your customers have, the better, as this increases future sales opportunities.

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