SOPs violations continue

Rawalpindi:The violation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in top food brands is on the rise with majority of the customers enjoying meals and other food items without giving importance to the guidelines given by the provincial government.

According to the details, most of the staff members in these food outlets are seen without having facemasks that is sheer violation of SOPs in the face of rising cases of coronavirus in the city.

The government has advised the food outlets to ensure social distancing while making seating arrangements for the customers. But no such thing happened even in most of the elite food outlets let alone the ordinary hotels and restaurants.

When asked a staff member of a branded food outlet told this correspondent “The members of a same family can sit together without maintaining social distancing. It happens everywhere in the world.”

To a question, he said “We cannot refuse our customers due to which we place maximum seats/sofas to accommodate them in our outlet.”

A large number of customers visit these food outlets but almost none of them have made proper arrangements to disinfect their premises time and again to provide safe and secure environment to them. It is pertinent to mention here that the government has published large numbers of advertisements in the newspapers in which it provided detailed guidelines to the food outlets, hotels and restaurants to avoid spread of coronavirus among the customers.

A rush of customers was also seen in popular coffee outlets but, unfortunately, there was no social distancing and use of facemasks as advised by the government.

Ali Raza, a customer at a coffee shop, said, “How can we maintain social distancing in this kind of rush. The staffers of this outlet also don’t care about SOPs so the customers come and enjoy coffee without giving any thought about coronavirus pandemic.”