Bogota restaurants join pilot program for reopening
Source: Xinhua | 2020-08-25
A pilot program to reopen restaurants in Colombia's capital city here has been announced after they were forced to close for five months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chia, a town located to the north of Bogota and a popular weekend getaway for residents, announced that 14 restaurants would be open for trial operation until Aug. 31. The restaurants will definitively resume operation as early as Sept. 15 if the pilot result turns out to be good.
The program basically entails adopting strict social distancing and protective measures, such as taking the temperature of clients and staff members before they enter a restaurant, to ensure the safe operation of businesses.
Andres Carne de Res, a renowned restaurant in Chia, is on the pilot list. "We have high expectations. We hope to be able to host people under the protocols we have and above all to provide work for our employees, who need it so much," Jose Julian Bermudez, the restaurant's operation manager, told Xinhua.
"We are taking care of the safety of both employees and diners who visit us, and what we hope is that people are encouraged to come and have an enjoyable experience under this new normal," said Bermudez.
Digital menus, which customers can get through scanning a QR code displayed on each table, servers with protective equipment, and a maximum capacity of no more than 50 percent are just some of the steps the restaurant has taken to build up customers' confidence, so that they would return for traditional Colombian cuisine.
"The stay inside the restaurant will be (limited to) a maximum of two hours as part of this opening pilot scheme. We cannot sell alcoholic beverages. We have to abide by these rules. However, as the days go by and we see good results ... we will move forward to offer more things inside the restaurant," said Bermudez.
"It is a great relief to see so many people be able to return to work and we, as customers, will be the first to notice whether these restaurants are complying with the necessary controls. It is a joint effort for everyone's well-being," Beatriz Correal, a visitor to the area, told Xinhua.
Busiunion
Busiunion