Regarding The Proposed Plan That Restaurant Can Only Serving Take Away, PHRI: You Cannot Take Steak And Shabu-Shabu Home

Illustration. (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Recently there has been a rumor of spreading COVID-19 through the dining table. The transmission occurs when one person eats together even though he or she has previously applied the health protocols. Reflecting on this rumor, a suggestion has emerged that the COVID-19 Task Force should begin to consider banning on-site dining for restaurants.

This proposal comes from an epidemiologist from Australia's Griffith University, Dicky Budiman. He asked the task force to consider banning eating in places for restaurants and food courts. This policy is the same as that carried out by the Australian government following the trend of spreading COVID-19 through the dining table.

Moreover, this is the same as experienced by Doni Monardo, Head of the Task Force for Handling COVID-19. Some time ago, Doni stated that he had contracted the virus after eating together during a visit to the location of a natural disaster.

Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Deputy Chairman for Restaurant, Emil Arifin, said that the restaurant's proposal to only serve take away or take-out cannot be implemented in all restaurants. Because he said, restaurants have different food menus from one another.

"Not all foods can be taken home, for example, can you take steak away? It's not good if you take it away. Can Japanese food shabu-shabu be taken away? It's hard to make take out. So for martabak, pizza, vermicelli, and noodles can still be taken home, but other than that it's difficult", he said, when contacted by VOI, Thursday, January 28.

Emil said he was worried if the government would implement this proposal. Because it can cause employers to reduce their employees and this will have an impact on increasing the number of unemployed.

"If it is applied, the labor force will decrease, unemployment will increase. Then if the restaurant is closed, where will the income come from? Nowhere. From the takeaway? Then it's better to close. Because it will not cover costs. How much the rental fee is, how much the electricity cost is, no way it will cover all of them", he explained.