Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have released a set of criteria for restaurant owners and customers to follow as dine-in eating resumes in the metropolis.

The safety requirements, promulgated by the city’s steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control, were issued alongside the municipal People’s Committee’s decision to resume dine-in service on Thursday.

The list includes four main criteria, two less than a tentative list announced by the Food Safety Management Authority of Ho Chi Minh City earlier this week.

In order for customers to dine-in, they must follow the ‘5K rules,’ which include wearing face masks, sanitizing hands, filing health declarations, keeping a safe distance, and avoiding large crowds. They must also scan the provided QR codes upon arriving at an eatery and follow other COVID-19 prevention and control measures set forth by health authorities.

F&B establishments must have legitimate food safety certificates and follow all safety requirements during their operations. They must also be equipped with hand sanitizers and hand dryers or disposable hand towels.

Owners must register their establishments at antoan-covid.tphcm.gov.vn to receive a QR code which they must require all customers and staff to scan in order to access a health declaration. 

Employees and delivery workers must have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine or have recovered from the disease within the past six months.

They must also undergo COVID-19 testing on a regular basis or when a staff member has a fever, cough, fatigue, loss of smell or taste, or difficulty breathing.

Eatery owners must be responsible for implementing epidemic prevention measures and publicizing the maximum number of guests they can serve at one time.

In its decision, the municipal administration stated that F&B establishments must close before 9:00 pm, operate at just 50 percent of their capacity, and must not serve alcohol.

Sit-down services that involve the sale of beer and alcohol will be piloted in District 7 and Thu Duc City until November 15.

Competent authorities will then review the results of this phase before deciding whether this service will be permitted in other districts.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ho Chi Minh City had banned dine-in service since late May.

Municipal authorities have been loosening restrictions since the beginning of October after vaccinating the majority of the city’s adult population and achieving optimistic results in pandemic prevention and control efforts.

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