PUTRAJAYA, June 19 — he special ministerial meeting has agreed to amend the standard operating procedures (SOP) for restaurants and eateries and allow them to operate at full capacity, said Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said the number of customers at the table will depend on its width, and that social distancing must be adhered to.

"Sometimes, families of four or more people coming into restaurants or eateries are required to sit separately since operators are strict about the SOPs. As long as social distancing is maintained, then it is not an issue for them to all sit at the same table,” Ismail Sabri said during his press briefing today.

Last month, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyddin Yassin announced that restaurants and eateries would be allowed to have dine-in customers from May 4.

At the time, operators were required to arrange their premises with a 2-metre minimum distance between each table to ensure a safe distance between dine-in customers.

Each table was also required to have a notice on the surface informing customers of the maximum number of people permitted, depending on the table’s size.

Muhyiddin suggested that a small table normally accommodating four persons should instead be limited to two, while a large table accommodating eight persons may be restricted to three or four people at the operator’s discretion.