GA Coronavirus: Reopening Guidelines Released For Restaurants

GEORGIA — Restaurant owners in Georgia are part of a select group of business owners who have been given the green light by Gov. Brian Kemp to reopen dining rooms Monday.

The governor has spelled out a timeline for many types of businesses — from hair salons to restaurants and movie theaters — as well as churches to reopen to gatherings.

Theaters, private social clubs and dine-in services at restaurants will be allowed to reopen Monday if they follow social distancing and sanitation guidelines.

The businesses that are reopening face restrictions, including social distancing and regular sanitation. Businesses that allow more than 10 people at a single location must require at least a 6-foot distance between people.

The announcement did not come without opposition from elected officials, including President Donald Trump, who said that he did not agree with the reopening.

During Wednesday's White House press briefing, Trump said he disagreed "strongly" with Kemp's decision because the state's number of cases and hospitalizations is still climbing, but he added that it's ultimately the governor's decision.

"I told the governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, that I disagree strongly with his decision to open certain facilities, which are in violation of the phase one guidelines for the incredible people of Georgia," Trump said Wednesday. "But at the same time, he must do what he thinks is right. I want him to do what he thinks is right, but I disagree with him on what he's doing, but I want to let the governors do — now, if I see something totally egregious, totally out of line, I'll do [something]. But I think spas and beauty salons and tattoo parlors and barber shops in phase one, we're going to have phase two very soon. It's just too soon. I think it's too soon."

Kemp tweeted that he had discussed Georgia's plan to reopen businesses for limited operations with Trump earlier on Wednesday, and he sidestepped the president's criticism.

"I appreciate his bold leadership and insight during these difficult times and the framework provided by the White House to safely move states forward," Kemp tweeted.

"Our next measured step is driven by data and guided by state public health officials," the governor wrote. "We will continue with this approach to protect the lives — and livelihoods — of all Georgians. Just like the thousands of businesses currently operating throughout Georgia, I am confident that business owners who decide to reopen will adhere to Minimum Basic Operations, which prioritize the health and well-being of employees and customers."

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Now, the state has released 39 guidelines that restaurants must enforce to comply with state law, including:

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. Under existing U.S. 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 days after onset and end isolation only after symptoms have improved and the employee has been fever-free and/symptom-free or for three 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 hand-washing, the use of hand sanitizers with at least 60 percent 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 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 break rooms.
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 refreshing employees.
19. Thoroughly detail, clean, and sanitize the entire facility prior to resuming dine-in services and continue to do so regularly, focusing 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 the 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 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. If 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 pickup services should be prioritized over dine-in services.
39. All restaurant or dining room playgrounds shall be closed.

These guidelines do not apply to dine-in services in hospitals, healthcare facilities, nursing homes, or other long-term care facilities.

No more than 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, calculations should include waiting and bar areas, if any, but don't include hallways, restrooms, and spaces closed to patrons.

Beginning Friday, certain other businesses were allowed to reopen statement if following social distancing guidelines: gyms, fitness centers, bowling alleys, body art studios, barbers, cosmologists, hair designers, nail care artists, estheticians and their schools, and massage therapists.

"Unlike other businesses, these entities have been unable to manage inventory, deal with payroll, and take care of administrative items while we shelter in place," Kemp said Monday. "This measure allows them to undertake baseline operations that most other businesses in the state have maintained since I issued the shelter-in-place order."

More specific guidelines for salon/shop owners and managers were released, including the use of the OSHA "Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19" as a guide for reopening.

See more:

• Reopening Guidelines Released For Salons, Spas: GA Coronavirus
• Details Of Georgia's Controversial Reopening: Coronavirus
• When Hair Salons, Dining, Theaters, Churches Will Re-Open In GA
• Trump Backtracks, Says Too Soon For GA Coronavirus Reopening