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THOSE planning to get some work done at food outlets while dining in can forget about the idea completely as they will no longer be allowed to do so when dine-in services are allowed in phases in Penang beginning today.
Patrons, said Penang Island City Council licensing department senior health officer Goh Eng Chun, will have to “travel light” without their electronic gadgets such as laptops, tablets and iPads when visiting the food outlets.
“We will not allow diners to work at the outlets as they are only allowed to order, eat and leave.
“The conditional movement control order’s (MCO) standard operating procedures of social distancing of two meters for each customer, temperature checks and sanitation would be strictly adhered to.
“As such, customers are not allowed to sit in and do their work. They must leave once they have finished their meals, ”said Goh to newsmen after checking a fast food outlet in Jalan Masjid Negeri on their dine-in preparations with council officers yesterday.
Under Penang’s first phase of dine-in services which starts today, only hotels, shopping malls and fast food franchises will be allowed to provide dine-in services.
Goh said dine-in customers would also be given chilli and tomato sauce in packets, instead of self-service using sauce dispensers in common areas.
This is to reduce cross contamination when many people use the sauce dispensers.
“We will be conducting checks in all fast food outlets on the island to ensure compliance,” I added.
Meanwhile, a check in several busy areas on the island showed that many Penangites wore face masks.
All ferry passengers from the mainland to the island had their masks on during their commute, including motorists and motorcyclists.
The busy Bayan Baru and Chowrasta wet markets also showed people adhering to the conditional MCO where they were seen waiting in line to sanitise their hands with their masks on at all times.
However, there was a small number people not wearing face masks. They shied away when approached for their reasons for not wearing them.
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