Chicago issues restaurant re-opening regulations

Chicago has beaten New York City to the starting gate for restaurant re-opens, issuing official regulations this week.

Tables must all be six feet apart and separated by decommissioned tables or physical barriers such as plexiglass. Eager diners must hold off on big parties, as planned events involving non-family members are limited to 10 attendees. At regular tables, six is the maximum group size.

All employees and guests in a restaurant must wear facial coverings, though diners can remove them when seated and eating.

Establishments are encouraged to conduct screenings of possible viral symptoms of entering guests and must post pledges at their entrances warning that sick diners will be asked to leave.

Non-disposable items such as menus, condiment containers, tables, and chairs must be cleaned after every dining party departs. Highly touched areas in the restaurant must be cleaned every 30 minutes and the entire house must be thoroughly cleaned on a daily basis. 

Dining establishments with lucrative bar businesses will be disappointed with the Chicago regulations, which only allow people to sit at bars or countertop--six feet apart--if they’re being served food.