GEORGE TOWN: Over 8,000 food premises in Penang will be allowed to resume dine-in services tomorrow as part of the state government's Penang Gradual Recovery Strategy (PGRS).
The 14 Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) adhered to by eateries at hotels, malls and fast-food outlets during the first phase will be applied in the second phase for eateries reopening from tomorrow.
State Local Government Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said in total there were 9,682 outlets and premises that will allow dine-in services statewide throughout the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO).
"Tomorrow, 8,792 premises will be allowed to resume their dine-in services with 3,200 from the island and 5,592 on the mainland.
"The objective is to stimulate the economy which was affected during the pandemic while also ensuring the safety and health of the public to combat Covid-19," he said in a live press conference through Facebook earlier today.
In phase one, 720 eateries at hotels, malls as well as fast-food outlets were allowed to operate since Friday with the strict 14-step SOP.
The 14 steps are Covid-19 screening for workers; recording customers' names and contact details with the PGCare application; making it compulsory to wear face masks for workers and encouraging customers to do the same; sterilising cutleries, sauce containers and items served to customers before and after meals; disallowing the sharing of cutleries; setting time and customer limits of 50 per cent capacity; setting tables apart by two metres; practising one-metre social distancing between customers; disallowing buffet and self-services; using hand sanitisers; frequent table cleaning; imposing one-metre distance at payment counters, and encouraging the use of cashless transactions.
Jagdeep said the compliance rate at premises under the purview of the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) was 99.6 per cent after inspections on 144,584 premises and 99.31 per cent from 180,513 premises under the purview of the Seberang Perai City Council.
He urged the people and premises owners to continue to adhere to the SOPs fixed by the authorities.
Putrajaya has extended the CMCO until June 9 following advice from the Health Ministry and the National Security Council to break the chain of Covid-19 infection.