Govt urged to allow indoor dining with enhanced SOPs

KARACHI: Restaurants in Pakistan employ millions of people and indoor dining is their biggest source of revenue. After almost 6 months of lockdowns in 2020, most restaurants are on the brink of bankruptcy. Contrary to popular belief, an overwhelming majority of restaurants are small family-run establishments that are the sole source of income for these families. In solidarity with restaurants of Pakistan, foodpanda is requesting federal and provincial governments to permit restaurants to operate indoor dining with enhanced social distancing and Covid-19 SOPs. Other countries that have successfully kept indoor dining open without increasing Covid-19 transmission risk have done so based on enhanced SOPs.

“Closing dine-in doesn’t just impact restaurants, it also affects incomes for associated businesses such as food suppliers, farmers, and packaging manufacturers. We believe enhanced dine in SOPs will ensure survival of restaurants, allow continued employment for millions of people, and reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19” said Nauman Sikander Mirza, CEO at foodpanda.—PR