Most of the restaurants within "NCR-plus" had no recourse but to suspend operations until the end of April due to persisting lockdown rules, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Sec. Ramon Lopez bared.
“Wala pong choice kundi makasunod (They have no choice but to comply). In fact when you talk to the group of restaurants, maliit lang po talaga yung may al fresco dine-in (only a few of them can afford al fresco dine in),” Lopez said during a televised press briefing Thursday, April 15.
Open air or al fresco dine-in is the only form of restaurant dine-in allowed under the current modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) over the National Capital Region (NCR) and its nearby provinces of Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite, and Rizal. The MECQ status will remain until April 30.
According to restaurateurs, less than 10 percent of them have an al fresco facility. The vast majority of restaurants are located within buildings and malls.
The DTI had earlier qualified eating at restaurants within a building doesn't count as al fresco dine-in.
“Karamihan sa kanila sinabi nila na magsasara na lang siguro muna sila hanggang end of April dahil bawal pa ang indoor dine-in (Most of them said they would temporarily close until the end of April due to the policy against indoor dine-in),” Lopez said.
The local restaurant industry employs around two million workers. However, the trade chief estimated that because of the current situation, over one million of these workers have been displaced or forced to accept an irregular work scheme.
“That’s a huge impact,” Lopez stressed. “So, hopefully once the restriction is deescalated to general community quarantine (GCQ) these establishments will reopen.”
Lopez reiterated that key indicators such as the rate of new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases as well as the utilization rate of hospital beds and intensive care units will determine whether or not the quarantine protocol within NCR-plus would be eased.