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Thursday, June 11, 2020

Everyone needs to see the GUIDELINES ALL bars/restaurants must comply to when reopening in Worcester County.

Worcester County Health Department
Reopening Guidance for Facilities with Indoor Seating During COVID-19
This guidance is intended for food service facilities that provide indoor seating during COVID-19.
 Tables must be placed so that there is a minimum of six (6) feet of separation between chairs while customers are
dining. Any tables that do not meet this requirement must either be removed or excluded. Booths, if not removable,
must meet the six (6) feet of separation by excluding every other booth. Physical barriers (i.e.: plexiglass dividers)
do not meet the requirement for separation.
 No groups larger than six (6) persons are to be seated together, except members of the same household.
 All tables and booths must be smooth, easily cleanable, and non-absorbent.
 All contact surfaces must be cleaned and disinfected with an EPA approved disinfectant for use against COVID-19
prior to opening each day. This includes but is not limited to: tables, chairs, booths, reusable menus, etc.
 The facility must post signage informing patrons not to enter if sick, hand washing reminders and cover your cough
reminders. Resources can be found at: https://coronavirus.maryland.gov/pages/lhd-resources.
 The number of patrons in the food service establishment shall not exceed 50% of the food service establishment’s
maximum occupancy.
 Management must conduct staff screening every day in order to exclude any potentially ill employees. Questionnaires
should be used as a screening tool. Management should follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
guidelines regarding sick employees.
 Facilities should provide staff with information pertaining to COVID-19 signs and symptoms.
 Staff and patrons must wear facial coverings pursuant to Executive Order # 20-04-15-01. Patrons may only remove
facial coverings while seated at their table.
 Customers that are waiting to be seated must abide by social distancing guidelines of six (6) feet of separation and must
not exceed the Executive Order on gatherings of more than ten (10) people. Any area where there is a potential for a
line to form must have a visual six (6) feet marking system to demonstrate the recommended social distancing. It is
recommended where applicable that customers wait in their vehicles until their table is ready. Handheld pagers are not
recommended. Consider utilizing phones, phone apps, or texting to notify patrons when their table is ready.
 The entrance and exit to the dining area must be clearly marked. All pedestrian traffic should be one way only where
possible.
 Paper menus that can be discarded after each use are recommended. Any reusable menus must be cleaned and
disinfected between patrons. Consider using contactless ordering and payment.
 The food service establishment shall not serve customers who are not seated.
 Buffet service is not allowed at this time.
 Consider eliminating any self service station such as beverage dispensing. If applicable, have staff dispense patron
beverages.
 Tables, chairs, and booths must be cleaned and disinfected between patron usage.
 Bathrooms must be cleaned and disinfected per disinfectant manufacturer requirements regarding product application
or when usage necessitates cleaning. Any line that forms for the bathroom must meet the aforementioned visual
marking system requirement.
 Hand sanitizer must be made readily available to staff and patrons. Hand sanitizer does not negate the need for hand
washing.
 It is recommended that all condiments are either pre-packaged in the kitchen or provided as single use items.
 Single use items must either be pre-packaged or pre-wrapped and given out per customer request. Any single service
item left on the table, whether used or unused, must be discarded after customer dining.
 Staff must wash their hands upon changing tasks or exposure to potentially contaminated items.
 Staff are reminded to not have bare hand contact with ready to eat foods.
 Patrons seated at the bar must comply with the appropriate social distancing guideline of at least six (6) feet. Standing
is not permitted in the bar area.
 At the close of the business, the facility must be cleaned and disinfected.
 Please refer to the National Restaurant Association COVID-19 Reopening Guide, the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), and the CDC for more information.
These guidelines are for use during the COVID-19 pandemic

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Continuing to kill small businesses but trying to pretend they're not.

Anonymous said...

Pathetic.

Anonymous said...

Really? Who would want to open and expect customers to comply and at the same time generate sufficient sales to realize a profit? These are the craziest damn rules ever presented to a business owner. Only someone with half his brain functioning would offer something so dumb.

Anonymous said...

Commie no cohonee hoagie. We need a patriot to run against this communist. What say ye layton

Anonymous said...

Wow what a freaking joke
Well people the government has officially destroyed the restaurant establishment business so my advise right now is get the hell out of it and find something else to do for its not going to happen and to all the ones that think they can make it work, well good luck with that for now your going to have to charge $35.00 for just a burger so not sure about the rest of you but I won't be patronize any of those kind or establishments for not worth the over cost on it.
Thank you government for as usual you f*ck up everything you touch in life
Again this world is going to hell In a hand basket

Anonymous said...

Which part of government beyond out of control do we not understand? If we continue to submit to this tyranny it will just get worse.

Anonymous said...

These rules will be broken every where by the customers and Joe is the only one that will be punished for it.

Anonymous said...

Why bother?

Anonymous said...

I admire and will support all the businesses who follow these guidelines they are the real hero’s. It’s easy to constantly complain when you don’t need to open however people need the income and they have to take care of their employees. I will be dining out in Friday with my wife and will be wearing a mask and complying with these rules and regulations. I suggest we all do the same support these frontline hero’s.

High Desert Dawg said...

I 2nd your pathetic!

Anonymous said...

So you have to clean each table and chairs after patrons leave. But the same standards don't apply to the restroom

Anonymous said...

Absurd!

Anonymous said...

Hogan is a rino

Anonymous said...

At least they are letting patrons take their masks off to eat....

Anonymous said...

I would refuse to re open.

It's all a game people.

Anonymous said...

I won't go even with all those guidelines, and I know many others won't either.

Anonymous said...

Holy crap! Sorry, but that's just too much for a customer to think about.

Unknown said...

What do you expect from no cohonee hoagie. I don't want to tell a "seacrets" but I know who I want for my governor.

Anonymous said...

Except, AIR IS EVERYWHERE.

Anonymous said...

I don't know why you think this is all required. It says "guidance" at top. It doesn't say "LAW". Ive been to plenty of restaurants since outdoor seating opened that haven't been doing half that nonsense. Just do what you feel is right.

Anonymous said...

Give respect ...get respect. Not everyone agrees with a free for all and not safety considerations. If you want bushiness to reopen, and i do , can you just follow the guidelines. Or , I for one , will not patronize, along withe very many others.

Is this too much to ask?

Anonymous said...

Northwest Woodsman: Time to grab the torches and pitchforks and head for Annapolis? Can’t take your “hunting implements” due to unconstitutional restrictions on firearms in your state.

Anonymous said...

I've worked in and around Government for over 50 years. These "guidelines" reek of a packed Government conference room shouting out ideas as soon as they come to mind. No consideration or thought is given to any one of them. The only thing these people know is that phase 1 comes before phase 2 and phase 3...... Just be thankful that they use numbers instead of letters.26 letters is too hard to keep track of.

Anonymous said...

Yep and lets get rid of speed limits, seat belts , allow smoking in restaurants , anything that you want. IN fact when you neighbor's dog shits on your lawn that will be okay as well

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry, but have to be effing kidding me with this crap