The state Department of Health on Friday released a series of “stipulations” for the safe reopening of restaurants as multiple islands prepare to resume dine-in service in the coming weeks.
While restaurants have been prohibited from offering dine-in service since mid-March, in order to limit the spread of COVID-19, Oahu and Maui will allow such service to resume on June 5.
The stipulations from the DOH include:
• Masks required for customers not currently eating.
• No more than 50% or half of the total seating capacity should be available for dining-in use.
• Dining tables at least six feet apart for indoors and outdoors. (Outdoor seating does not count toward the total seating capacity.)
• Restaurants are encouraged to require reservations for dine-in service for greater control of customer volume.
• Consider allowing customers to pre-order while making reservations to decrease the length of time they are in the establishment.
• A maximum of six customers who do not live in the same household, per group per table, and a maximum of 10 customers who do live in the same household, per group per table.
• No self-service salad bar or buffet.
• Restaurants should post signage at the entrance that states that no one with a fever or symptoms of COVID-19 will be permitted in the restaurant.
• Employees exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms should not be allowed to come to work.
• Restaurants should provide ample cleaning supplies, including hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
As the state continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the seating capacity requirement may be loosened to allow up to 75% of the total seating capacity to be available.
Retail food markets will also require six-foot distances between individuals, and limit the number of people to 50% of the fire code occupancy, although the latter requirement may also be loosened to 75% as the state recovers.