Enhanced COVID-19 Quarantine Guidelines... Bakery and Coffee Franchises Hold "Emergency Countermeasure Meeting"

Additional Quarantine Measures for Cafe and Restaurant Operations on the 28th
Franchise Industry "Will Follow Government Policies... Meeting on Detailed Business Guidelines"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saeng-hye] Following the government's decision to strengthen COVID-19 prevention guidelines starting from the 30th, the dining industry has held an emergency countermeasure meeting.

Park Neung-hoo, the first head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH), announced on the 28th that due to the resurgence of COVID-19, social distancing level 2 measures will be extended for one week from the 30th to the 6th of next month, along with additional quarantine measures for cafes and restaurants.

According to the CDSCH briefing, during this period, franchise-type cafes in the metropolitan area will not allow in-store use and will only permit takeout and delivery. Restaurants will be restricted to takeout and delivery only from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following day.

Among cafes, franchise coffee shops will only allow takeout and delivery regardless of business hours. When taking out beverages, core quarantine rules such as maintaining visitor logs, wearing masks, and keeping a 2-meter (minimum 1 meter) distance between users must be followed.

General restaurants, rest area restaurants, and bakeries will operate normally during the day but will only allow takeout and delivery from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next day.

Accordingly, from the 30th, coffee franchise stores will no longer be available for in-store use. Bakeries such as Paris Baguette and Tous Les Jours are expected to have somewhat reduced store hours. Franchise representatives from coffee chains like Starbucks and Ediya, bakery specialists such as SPC and CJ Foodville, and franchises like McDonald's stated, "We will comply with government policies," adding, "We are currently holding emergency internal meetings regarding detailed business operation measures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.