Is it safe to resume dine-in services, say restaurant owners

 

The government has announced that restaurants in Phase 2 states may offer dine-in services from Aug. 10. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Restaurant associations have questioned whether it is safe for restaurants to be reopened for dine-in service, given the record number of Covid-19 infections and deaths.

J Suresh, president of the Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners Association, told FMT that while some owners would welcome the easing of movement restrictions from Aug 10, he believes it may not be the right time to do so.

“We were asking to reopen when the number of cases was still around 3,000 to 4,000. Now, when there are more than 20,000 new cases on some days, finally they let us open for dine-ins?” he said.

He expressed his personal concern over the reopening of eateries, in view of the high number of cases and deaths, even while more people are being vaccinated.

“I leave it to the individual restaurants to decide whether they feel it is safe to reopen, it’s up to them,” he said.

Earlier today, the government announced the resumption of inter-district travel and dine-in services at restaurants in Phase 2 states from Aug 10.

However, Suresh said that restaurants that choose to reopen may struggle to do so, because of the lack of workers. The many months of movement restrictions, leading to low levels of business, has resulted in many restaurants losing the foreign workers they once employed.

“Once these foreign workers go home, it’s not like we can get them back either. So restaurants that want to restart now are stuck without manpower. This extends from kitchen staff, to waiters, even the person at the door who should be checking vaccination status. Many businesses just don’t have the staff any more,” said Suresh.

Wong Teu Hoon, president of the Malaysia Singapore Coffee Shop Proprietors General Association foresees that businesses that open will struggle to be profitable, as dine-in business may not offset limitations on capacity and the additional costs of regular sanitation and staff to monitor vaccination status.

“But what concerns me the most is that the current health situation doesn’t look positive. There is a high risk for our customers to dine in.

“While we hope we can open for dine-in in the near future, it must only come once the pandemic is under control. - FMT