Although many employees returned to work on Monday, restaurants have not been given the green light to operate at full capacity. Instead, the government is encouraging eateries to offer takeout and delivery services as alternative options for the time being. The Guangdong Administration for Market Regulation published a notice for the F&B industry last week and clause 15 states, “before the epidemic prevention and control is lifted, a food and beverage establishment is prohibited from receiving large-scale dinner gatherings.”
To reopen for dine-in service, establishments must apply with the government.
In Guangzhou, all districts have suspended dine-in service as of 9pm on February 12 (with the exception of cafeterias) as reported by Zhongguo Guangzhou Fabu, a local government-run WeChat account. Elsewhere in Guangdong, Xiangzhou district in Zhuhai, Foshan and Zhongshan have also prohibited local dine-in services.
In Shenzhen, most businesses in the Futian CBD are closed. Takeout and delivery staff must have their temperature taken before picking up the food, as reported by Southern Metropolis Daily.
On January 27, Meituan launched ‘contactless delivery’ across 184 cities across the country including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. How this differs from regular waimai orders is that customers and deliverymen and women can agree on a drop off spot to limit face-to-face interaction. For example, the order can be dropped off at the front desk of an office, the doorstep or an area outside of a community.
If you’re looking to cook at home and need to order groceries, check out our ultimate guide on home deliveries.
For regular updates on the novel coronavirus outbreak in China, click here.
READ MORE: 12 China F&B Insiders Assess the Coronavirus Crisis Impact
[Cover image via Matthew Bossons/That’s]
0 User Comments