These are the official advanced level 3 lockdown changes for South Africa – including unusual rules for sit-down restaurants
The Department of Tourism has published a new directive which enables further businesses including sit-down restaurants, casinos, conferences and hotels to reopen at advanced level 3 lockdown.
The directive is in line with comments made by tourism minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane on Friday, however, they provide further clarity on a number of issues, as well as detailed instructions on areas that have not been covered by the minister.
The directive, which was published late on Monday evening (29 June), commences immediately meaning the mentioned businesses can now open immediately.
These include:
- Restaurants, fast food outlets and coffee shops;
- Lodges, bed and breakfast, timeshare facilities and resorts and guest houses;
- Self-drive excursions;
- Conference and meeting venues;
- Casinos.
The basic rules for restaurants are outlined in more detail below.
Restaurants
- Restaurants, fast food outlets and coffee shops must keep a daily record of the full names, ID number or passport number, nationality, nature of position (i.e. temporary, casual or permanent), residential address, and cell phone numbers of all employees and delivery persons;
- Ensure that every employee and delivery person is screened on arrival for shifts and on departing after shifts;
- Provide employees with masks to wear and hand sanitiser;
- Ensure that an area is demarcated for the collection of orders for delivery that is separate from the place where food is prepared;
- Ensure that a contactless pickup zone for customers whose orders are ready to be collected is designated;
- Sit-down restaurants must conduct a screening questionnaire and take precautionary measures to protect the person and other persons on the premises. Such measures may include denying such a person access to the premises;
- Ensure that customers or guests wear masks at all times while they are on their premises except when eating or drinking;
- Ensure that customers or guests queue at least one and a half meters apart behind each other or sideways;
- Remove excess chairs /stools and tables or tables combined to enlarge the floor space while reducing and spreading seat capacity to enforce distancing of one and a half meters between guests or customers;
- Consider a reservation system to manage demand, and help ensure that capacity limits are adhered to;
- No buffets may be offered to guests for self -service;
- Food may only be plated and/or provided in covered single portions;
- Guests may pickup pre-portioned items and any other buffet service should be handled by food service employees only from behind Perspex or similar protective shields;
- Menus must be replaced with non -touch options or sanitised after each guest use;
- Where possible and for instance while taking orders, waiting staff must stand at least a meter from tables;
- Where possible, tablecloths should be removed from tables. Only essential items such as salt and pepper, should remain on tables and be sanitised after each guest;
- Remove excess chairs /stools and tables or tables combined to enlarge the floor space while reducing and spreading seat capacity to enforce distancing of one and a half meters between guests or customers;
- Items on waiting stations must be minimised;
- Clearing and cleaning systems with designated containers for different items and sealable refuse containers for food waste must be implemented and used.
It should be noted that the directive makes no provision for the sale of alcohol for on-site consumption.
This effectively means that restaurants are still bound by the existing level 3 regulations, and can only sell alcohol for consumption off-premises.
The Restaurants Association of South Africa (Rasa) has indicated that it will challenge this decision and has sent a lawyer’s letter to government appealing for on-site consumption alcohol sales to be allowed.
You can read the full directive below.
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