San Juan City open to increasing restaurant dine-in capacity to 70 %

San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora

MANILA, Philippines — San Juan City is eyeing to increase the dine-in capacity of restaurants and other food establishments from 50 to 70 percent.

“Mayroon ding carrying capacity ang mga restaurants and they have their own return-to-work plans and compliance in terms of numbers sapagka’t mayroong 50 percent capacity which we can increase to 70 percent if needed,” San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora said in an ambush interview with reporters at Greenhills Shopping Center on Friday.

(Restaurants have carrying capacity and own return-to-work plans and compliance of numbers because they have 50 percent capacity which can be increased to 70 percent if needed.)

“Ang IATF [Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases] kasi binigyan ang local governments ng authority to increase the capacity in case we feel we have to basta sumusunod sa health and safety protocols,” Zamora added.

(LGUs were given authority to increase the capacity of establishments in case we feel we have to, as long as health and safety protocols are followed.)

Zamora said increasing the capacity can be implemented through the issuance of an executive order.

He underscored that the government can now balance the revival of the economy and ensuring the health and safety of the public.

The local chief executive said active cases of COVID-19 decreased in November to 48 from 680 active cases recorded in September.

“Sana mas madaling panahon maging zero na ang active cases (I hope we can record zero active cases in the city),” Zamora said.

In the previous memorandum of Department of Trade and Industry, restaurants and food establishments are allowed to operate beyond 50 percent but must follow strict health standards.

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