Governor Kemp issued the Executive Order for “Providing guidance for reviving a healthy Georgia in response to COVID-19” on April 24th. Included in this document are the standards for restaurants to adhere to for dine-in service. Restaurants are allowed to open for dine-in service on April 27 and the standards are effective starting at 12am.
Along with the list of 39 standards, the Order states that “for restaurants, no more than ten (10) patrons should be allowed in the facility per 500 square feet of public space. In calculating the total number of public space square feet, such calculation shall include waiting and bar areas, if any, but shall not include hallways, restrooms, and spaces closed to patrons.”
The standards listed in the Order are:
1. Screen and evaluate workers who exhibit signs of illness, such as a fever over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, cough, or shortness of breath;
2. Require workers who exhibit signs of illness to not report to work or to seek medical attention. Per existing US Food and Drug Administration Food Code requirements, employees who are sick should remain home. If an employee becomes ill or presents signs of illness at work, the operator should identify the employee’s condition during a pre-work screening and send the employee home. Restaurants shall create, maintain, and follow established policies regarding when employees who have become ill are permitted to return to work. An employee with known or suspected must follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to self-isolate for at least seven (7) days after onset and end isolation only after have improved and the employee has been fever-free and/ or for three (3) consecutive days without medication before returning to work;
3. Implement teleworking for all possible workers;
4. Implement staggered shifts for all possible workers;
5. Hold all meetings and conferences virtually, whenever possible;
6. Train all employees on the importance and expectation of increased frequency of handwashing, the use of hand sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol, and provide clear instruction to avoid touching hands to face;
7. Require all employees to wear face coverings at all times. Such coverings shall be cleaned or replaced daily;
8. Discourage workers from using other workers’ phones, desks, offices, or other work tools and equipment;
9. Where possible, stagger workstations to avoid employees standing adjacent to one another or next to each other. Where six (6) feet of separation is not possible, consider spacing options that include other mitigation efforts with increased frequency of cleaning and sanitizing surfaces;
10. Establish limit numbers to reduce contact in employee breakrooms;
11. Prohibit handshaking and other unnecessary person~to~person contact in the workplace;
12. Enforce Social Distancing of non-cohabitating persons while present on such entity’s leased or owned property;
13. Increase physical space between workers and patrons;
14. Limit contact between wait staff and patrons;
15. Discard all food items that are out of date;
16. Discontinue use of salad bars and buffets;
17. If providing a “grab and go” service, stock coolers to no more than minimum levels;
18. Ensure the Food Safety Manager certification of the person in charge is up-to-date and provide food handler training to refresh employees;
19. Thoroughly detail, clean, and sanitize the entire facility prior to resuming dine-in services and continue to do so regularly, focussing such cleaning and sanitation on high contact areas that would be touched by employees and patrons;
20. Between diners, clean and sanitize table condiments, digital ordering devices, check presenters, self-service areas, tabletops and commonly touched areas, and discarding single-use items;
21. Use rolled silverware and eliminate table presets;
22. Remove items from self-service drink, condiment, utensil, and tableware stations and have workers provide such items to patrons directly wherever practicable;
23. The use of disposable paper menus is strongly encouraged, which should be discarded after each patron use. Otherwise, businesses subject to this Section shall clean and sanitize reusable menus between each use by a patron. Non-touch menus are also acceptable for use.
24. Clean and sanitize restrooms regularly, check restrooms based on the frequency of use, and ensure adequate supply of soap and paper towels at all times;
25. Implement procedures to increase cleaning and sanitizing frequency of surfaces in the back-of-house. Avoid all food contact surfaces when using disinfectants;
26. Check restrooms regularly and clean and sanitize based on frequency of use;
27. Update floor plans for common dining areas, redesigning seating arrangements to ensure at least six (6) feet of separation from seating to seating. Utilize physical barriers on booth seating when available;
28. Limit party size at tables to no more than six;
29. Where practical, consider a reservations-only business model or call-ahead seating;
30. Remind third-party delivery drivers and any suppliers of your internal distancing requirements;
31. Post signage on entrances that no one with a fever or of is permitted in the facility;
32. Where practicable, physical barriers such as partitions or Plexiglas at registers should be used;
33. Use technological solutions where possible to reduce person-to-person interaction: mobile ordering, mobile access to menus to plan in advance, text on arrival for seating, and contactless payment options;
34. Provide hand sanitizer for use by patrons, including contactless hand sanitizing stations when available;
35. Do not allow patrons to congregate in waiting areas or bar areas. Design a process to ensure patron separation while waiting to be seated that can include floor markings, outdoor distancing, or waiting in cars;
36. 1f possible, use an exit from the facility separate from the entrance;
37. Mark ingress/egress to and from restrooms to establish paths that mitigate proximity for patrons and staff;
38. Where practicable, takeout and curbside pick?up services should be prioritized over dine?in services; and
39. All restaurant or dining room playgrounds shall be closed.
The Georgia Restaurant Association has produced an easy-to-read document outlining the standards that can be downloaded by going to Reopening Guidance.
