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Restaurants Employ New Rules To Ensure The Safety Of Dine-In Customers

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

After weeks of stay-at-home orders, some states have allowed restaurants to resume serving dine-in customers. But it is far from business as usual.

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Some of the changes you might expect, like social distancing, hand sanitizer and face coverings for both employees and diners. But depending where you live, you might encounter even more precautions.

KELLY: First, you may have to provide more personal information than usual. Some states require restaurants to log customer information for contact tracing purposes.

SHAPIRO: And when you're seated, it may not be inside. Many restaurants are moving tables outdoors to parking lots and sidewalks. Not only does it help spread out seating, but the virus is less likely to be transmitted outdoors.

KELLY: Tabletop essentials might be missing entirely - things like menus and condiments. That's because these high-touch items need to be disinfected constantly.

SHAPIRO: But you can still get ketchup and mustard. You just might need to ask your server for the bottle.

(SOUNDBITE OF THE BLOW SONG, "TRUE AFFECTION") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.