Employees absent from work due to suspected COVID-19, MUST NOT return to work unless cleared by a Medical Doctor

The Central Board of Health has released guidelines by which Food Service Establishments should operate.

Below are the guidelines.

Employees MUST NOT report to work if they have symptoms of COVID-19,
including fever, respiratory symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath or
loss of the sense of taste/smell. If in doubt call the COVID Hotline at 462-6843
If an employee is sick send them home immediately. Clean and disinfect
surfaces in their work place. Others at the facility with close contact (i.e. within
6ft) of the employee during this time is considered exposed.
Instruct employees who are well, but know they have been exposed to COVID19 to notify their supervisor
Employees absent from work due to suspected COVID-19, MUST NOT return
to work unless cleared by a Medical Doctor.
Inform fellow employees of their possible exposure to COVID-19 in the work
place, if an employee is confirmed to have COVID-19, while maintaining
confidentiality.
Implement workplace control to reduce transmission among employees
Workers with a cough, runny nose, jaundice, diarrhea, vomiting, should not be
permitted at work.
Employers can consid

er the use of a touchless infrared thermometer to check
the temperature of their employees each day before they enter. Any person who
has a temperature of 99°F and above, should not be allowed to return until
they have no fever and no evidence of COVID-19 symptoms. *Follow guidelines
on Taking Temperature
Wearing of a facemask is mandatory by all employees. The face mask must
cover your nose and mouth.

All Employees MUST perform hand hygiene before entering and leaving the
workplace. Hands must be washed under running water using liquid soap for a
minimum of 20 seconds. A hand hygiene station must be places at the
entrance for the customers. An alcohol based hand rub of 70% can be provided
Food handlers DO NOT have the option of replacing hand washing with hand
sanitizers. Food handlers MUST wash their hands under running water using
liquid soap for a minimum of 20 seconds
Discourage customers from bringing pets into the restaurant, stores or waiting
area
Food Hygiene Guidance
 COVID-19 is a respiratory illness and is not known to be transmitted by
exposure to food.
 Although it is very unlikely that coronavirus is transmitted through food,
as a matter of good hygiene practice, everyone handling food should
wash their hands often with liquid soap and water for at least 20
seconds. This should be done as a matter of routine, before and after
handling food, and especially after being in a public place, blowing their
nose, coughing, or sneezing.
 Food Service Establishments should follow the 5 Keys to Food Safety
 Ensure that food reach the proper internal temperature prior to service,
or cooling
 Ensure that hot food are cooled rapidly for later use, check temperature
of food being cooled in refrigerator or by raid cooling techniques such as
ice baths and cooling wands
 Proper training for food employees
 If you donate food to charitable organisations, check with the local health
department. (Central Board of Health)

Food preparation guidance is intended to ensure that staff follows good hygiene
practices to prevent the spread of diseases to food. Key safety points include:
 being fit for work
 washing hands for at least 20 seconds with liquid soap and water
 wearing aprons and clean clothing
 avoiding touching eyes, nose, mouth
 using gloves to avoid bare hand contact with food
 covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue and discard properly after
use, then wash of hands.
Wash hands after:
 Using the restroom
 Touching hair, body or clothing
 Changing task
 Handling money
 Using a cell phone
 Taking out the garbage
 Leaving preparation area
 Handling chemicals
 Handling raw meat, poultry or seafood
 Sneezing, coughing, using handkerchief or tissue
 Smoking, eating, drinking, chewing tobacco or gum
 Removing dirty plates, cutleries, cuts from dining tables
Dining Area:
 Containers holding condiments such as ketchup, mustard, sugar etc
should be removed from the public access. Takeaway packets can be
given upon request
 Place marks on the seats and on the floor. These 6ft apart markers will
serve to guide patrons to maintain a safe distance from one another
when dining and making purchases.
 Minimize crowding by limiting the number of patrons inside the food
establishment by offering online ordering, calls or text message.
 To minimize crowding in the dining room appointments services can be
offered
 Discontinue the operation of Salad Bars, Buffets and Beverage Stations
that require customers to use common utensils. This can be replaced by
having this service provided by the employees
Guidelines for Food Service Establishments
4
Cleaning and Sanitizing
Frequently clean and disinfect objects and surfaces that are highly touched,
using your standard cleaning products. Food businesses can refer to Central
Board of Health Facebook Page for a list of approved disinfectants.
Frequently disinfect surfaces repeatedly touched by employees or customers
such as door knobs, equipment handles, check-out counters, tables, chairs
and grocery cart handles, etc.
Frequently clean and disinfect the floor, walls, equipment and other facility
area
Wash, rinse, and sanitize food contact surfaces dishware, utensils, food
preparation surfaces, and beverage equipment after use. Use 1 tablespoon (1
cap) of Clorox to 1 gallon of water. Do not mix chemicals!
Verify that your dish-washing machines are operating at the required wash and
rinse temperatures and with the appropriate detergents and sanitizers.
Hot water can be used in placed of chemicals to sanitize equipment and
utensils

Social distancing
The advice on social distancing measures applies to everyone. You need to
minimise opportunities for the virus to spread by maintaining a distance of 2
metres between individuals. This advice applies to both inside the food
business and in the external public areas where customers may need to queue.
People should be reminded to wash their hands for 20 seconds and more
frequently than normal. Employer should provide hand sanitizers for
customers throughout the establishment.
A few general indicators may be relevant to the majority of retail outlets:
 use additional signage to ask customers not to enter the shop if they
have symptoms
 regulate entry so that the premises do not become overcrowded
 Establish designated pick up zones for customers to facilitate physical
distancing
 use floor markings inside the commercial spaces to facilitate compliance
with the social distancing advice of 2 metres, particularly in the most
crowded areas, such as serving counters and cashiers
 make regular announcements to remind customers to follow social
distancing advice and clean their hands regularly
 place plexi-glass barriers at counters if feasible, as an additional element
of protection for workers and customers
 encourage the use of contactless payments where possible, without
disadvantaging older or vulnerable customers
 provide additional pop-up hand washing stations or facilities if possible,
providing soap, water and hand sanitizer
 Discontinue self service operations, such as salad bars, buffets, and
beverage service stations that require customers to use common utensils
or dispensers. Have the employees off these services
Maintaining Social Distancing in Specific Food Business Settings
Supermarkets
Supermarkets need to avoid crowding and create adequate spacing between
individuals.
Effective measures to support this will vary by store and location but could
include:
 monitoring the number of customers within store and limiting access to
avoid congestion
 implementing queue management systems to limit crowds gathering at
entrances and maintain the 2 metres distance
 Have a hand hygiene station at the entrance of the supermarket
equipped with liquid soap.

Staff Lunch Room and Rest Areas
It is very unlikely that coronavirus is transmitted through food. Workplace
canteens may remain open where there are no practical alternatives for staff to
obtain food.
 as far as reasonably possible, a distance of 2 metres should be
maintained between users
 staff can continue to use rest areas if they apply the same social
distancing
 notices promoting hand hygiene and social distancing should be placed
visibly in these areas
 if possible, increase the number of hand washing stations available
Outdoor Food Markets and Farmers Markets
The main concern with outdoor food markets is to avoid crowds gathering.
Additionally, all vendors must have a temporary hand-wash station at their
respective stalls. We encourage food market operators to consider how they can
safely sell their products without encouraging crowds and ensure hygiene
measures are in place. This can be done by:
 taking orders online or by telephone in advance and pre-packing orders
to limit face-to-face time in the market
 considering delivery services if possible
Food Delivery Service
 Practice social distancing when delivering food, e.g., offering “no touch”
deliveries and sending text alerts or calling when deliveries have arrived.
 Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold by storing in appropriate
transport equipment/vessels.
 Keep cold foods cold by keeping enough coolant materials, e.g., gel
packs.
 Keep hot foods hot by ensuring insulated cases are properly functioning.
 Ensure that any wrapping and packaging used for food transport is done
so that contamination of the food is prevented.
 Routinely clean and sanitize coolers and insulated bags used to deliver
foods.
 Increase the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting of high-touch
surfaces within the vehicle by wiping down surfaces using a regular
household cleaning spray or wipe.

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