Restaurant and café operators in Don Salvador Benedicto have been reminded to ensure that their customers strictly comply with social distancing and other safety protocols against COVID-19.
DSB Mayor Marxlen dela Cruz admitted that the resto and café businesses in the town are recovering after several months of closure due to the pandemic.
But he urged the owners and operators to implement the rules on social distancing and comply with the allowed customer capacity since the local government does not have enough personnel to check if these rules are being followed.
He appealed to business owners to police their establishments and follow the rules under the Modified General Community Quarantine status.
The municipal government has opened the town to local tourists for dine-in and relaxation when the province of Negros Occidental was placed under MGCQ.
Dela Cruz said they allowed the business sector to resume operations with restrictions under the MGCQ since Oct. 16.
Since Mambukal Resort in Murcia, and Patag Resort in Silay City are still closed to the public, residents from neighboring towns and cities flocked to DSB on weekends just to dine, stay for a day to market, and to relax.
He noticed that most of the visitors are from Bacolod City that is still under the General Community Quarantine status with stricter rules.
The restaurants and cafes are full, mostly during Saturday and Sunday noon, and observers noticed that the social distancing protocol is not fully implemented since visitors who traveled for an hour to reach the place want to immediately take a seat to dine or rest.
Some weekend visitors also make stopovers at the Lions Park Viewing Deck. Dela Cruz said he already asked the barangay police to help in reminding visitors to observe social distancing.
The Municipal Health Office is also reminding locals, especially the food servers, to observe social distancing, wear masks at all times, and regularly wash and sanitize their hands.
Dela Cruz said there are 40 restaurants and cafés, mostly along the road and on hilly portions of the town with a good relaxation view for visitors. The food business employs around 400 locals who work as servers, and contributes 10 percent to the economy of the local government, the mayor added. – ML
