The great reopening has begun, albeit on a modest scale, as more than 8,000 restaurants and teashops mostly in Naypyidaw region will allow dine-in customers today.
Only restaurants in townships that are not under stay-at-home orders can legally welcome customers again, according to the Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment of COVID-19.
This means Yangon region’s restaurants will stay limited to takeaway services for now, although this has not deterred some restaurants and bars from quietly opening their doors in recent weeks to keep their businesses afloat.
Restaurants must follow Covid-19 rules, according to the committee, which are likely to include partitioning screens on tables and taking customers temperatures. Businesses that fall below a so-called “A-rating” standard set by the Health and Sports Ministry may face sanctions.
Most eateries in Yangon, Mandalay and Naypyitaw were permitted to reopen in early June, but a second, more severe wave of Covid-19 pushed the government to reintroduce the take-away only order on September 8.
The country has reported thousands of cases across the country in recent days, with the Mandalay regional government issuing an order for strict new restrictions in urban townships from December 5 to December 18.
The health ministry has recorded 95,018 cases, 2,028 deaths and 73,748 recoveries as of this morning.