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Arizona restaurants ready for new COVID-19 rules

Governor issues social distancing, PPE guidance for dine-in establishments

Posted 6/18/20

A day after Gov. Doug Ducey announced new sanitation and social distancing rules for restaurants, local owners and industry advocates say it’s mostly just business as usual.

The governor at …

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Arizona restaurants ready for new COVID-19 rules

Governor issues social distancing, PPE guidance for dine-in establishments

Posted

A day after Gov. Doug Ducey announced new sanitation and social distancing rules for restaurants, local owners and industry advocates say it’s mostly just business as usual.

The governor at his June 17 press conference — making a rare public appearance wearing a face mask — stressed the importance of taking action while the rate of hospitalizations for COVID-19 continues to rise, as evidenced by data from the Arizona Department of Health Services.   

“We’ve been working on this issue 24-7 and we’re going to continue working on this issue,” Mr. Ducey said. “It’s been 100-plus days that we’ve been focused on COVID-19 and we’re going to continue to take the actions necessary to protect and promote public health in Arizona.”

Dr. Cara Christ, director of AZDHS, reiterated his concerns and elaborated on the need for social distancing and personal protective equipment to slow down the spread of the virus.

“One of the key things you want to think about is, how many people are you going to interact with or come into close contact with?” said Dr. Christ. “Because viruses are mostly spread between people. So, the more people you interact with, the more your risk is elevated. Being in a group of people who aren’t socially or physically distancing or wearing a cloth face mask is also going to increase your risk and engaging with new people that you may not have been exposed to is another risk factor.”

She said the risk of transmission is even greater in such settings, because some who contract the novel coronavirus can spread it without having shown symptoms.

“We do know that there is asymptomatic spread,” Dr. Christ said. “So, people may not look sick, they may not feel sick, and that’s why it’s so important that everyone wear a cloth face covering when they are out.”

After the press conference, Mr. Ducey announced a new executive order which, among other things, provides new guidance to all restaurants offering dine-in service in Arizona.

The requirements include:

  • Clearly marking 6-foot spacing in all interior areas where patrons queue for service or congregate.
  • All restaurant employees who interact with customers must wear cloth face masks at all times.
  • Restaurant management must develop and enforce PPE standards and post signs at the entrance to prohibit anyone showing symptoms from entering.
  • And performing wellness checks of employees — including temperature checks — for all restaurant personnel as they arrive and before opening for business daily.

Industry response

Susie Timm — CEO of Knife & Fork Media Group and a public relations and media consultant to over 25 local restaurants, as well as the Arizona Restaurant Association — praised the governor’s action.

“I think Ducey made a wise decision to protect our citizens and industry employers and employees. We will all adapt swiftly to any city ordinances that are made because the health of our employees and guests are paramount,” Ms. Timm said.

Responding to the executive order, ARA officials released a statement Wednesday night, saying the association plans to issue revised guidance to its members soon.

“While many of these requirements were already included in the ARA’s reopening guidance, there are new items and the ARA will be updating our guidance document for restaurants in the coming days,” the association stated in a June 17 email.

Izabela Kozlowski, co-owner at I & J Fountain Restaurant, said the new rules are useful, though her establishment has already instituted the procedures.

“Although the requirements for reopening were previously more of a suggestion rather than a guideline for restaurants, we take the health and safety of our customers and staff very seriously and have been enforcing the recommended strategies since reopening,” Ms. Kozlowski said. “We have spaced all of our tables six feet apart, use every other table, and even put dividers to ensure limited contact amongst guests.”

An even playing field and uniform requirements will protect public health while helping struggling business regain their clientele, she suggested.

“Ultimately, I think the new mandated rules set forth are for the best so that all establishments have to abide by them and we can get closer to some sort or normality if everyone puts forward the effort to social distance and abide by the guidelines,” Ms. Kozlowski said.

During the shelter-in-place order, her restaurant stayed open and focused on carry-out business while the dining room was closed, catering to a largely retiree base at their location in Surprise nestled between the Sun Cities, she said.

“Our customers are mostly seniors and they are the most vulnerable to this virus so they were staying home, some of them still are,” Ms. Kozlowski said. “Since we opened back for dine-in back in May, the to-go orders drastically dropped and dine-in still isn’t what we would need it to be.”

The owners have adjusted the schedule of live events, such as live music nights and karaoke, and though business is down due to the outbreak, they plan to keep serving up hot food for their regulars, Ms. Kozlowski said.

“While this has impacted our business, we are thankful for the opportunity to reopen for our loyal customers,” she added.

Restaurant week

This month’s Arizona Restaurant Week will be the first such promotion offered since the outbreak started and restaurateurs — many of whom previously focused on dine-in service only — have adapted to provide takeout service as well, Ms. Timm explained.

“Arizona Restaurant Week has evolved this season to take into account every type of diner — so nearly 75% of our participating restaurants are offering their Arizona Restaurant Week menu for takeout,” Ms. Timm said. “This is the first time we have done it this way and we are very excited to see how many consumers take advantage of it.”

The semiannual promotion occurs in June and September for a week of three-course prix fixe menus at reduced prices, ranging from $33 per couple up to $44 per person.

The spring event starts today and runs through June 28, with 114 restaurants joining in across the Valley.

Jamie Stone, director of marketing at ARA, said participating restaurants are eager to plate up the fine dining experience to local foodies, whether for dine-in or carry-out service.

“This season we have been strongly encouraging restaurants to offer their three-course menus as takeout in addition to dine-in.

“In years past, Restaurant Week was strictly a dine-in only event, aimed at providing a bump in restaurant traffic leading into the summer months,” Mr. Stone explained. “But given the current climate, we wanted to make sure we adapted, allowing everyone to enjoy at their own comfort level.”

The association hosts a website, where visitors can search by community, price or cuisine and get a look at each restaurant’s special menu offerings and deals.

The fall restaurant week promotion is scheduled run September 18-27.