COVID-19 Operating Guidance

The National Restaurant Association continues to collaborate with safety experts from government organizations, academia, the public health sector, and corporations to bring operators the most up-to-date guidelines to support safe dining.

This updated COVID-19 Operating Guidance, our 6th edition, is intended to complement the official guidelines put in place by your state and local authorities.

It builds on the prior documents and continues to incorporate new information as it becomes available from:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
• American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
• … including the latest guidance concerning dining indoors, updated mask use, encouraging employees to get vaccinated, cleaning and sanitizing, hand washing, health monitoring and policy for ill or exposed employees, ventilation best practices, and more.

New to this update: State and local officials will make mask determinations based on local outbreaks and CDC guidance. Masks are shown to be effective when all parties wear them. Taking outbreaks and vaccinations into consideration, in conjunction with local mandates, consider masks for employees and customer interactions during service.

Also new: Official OSHA Guidelines for Protecting Workers. OSHA’s guidelines for employers, highlighted on page 11, are based on this document.

OSHA guidelines also link to information on tax credits for paid time off to get vaccinated, recommendations to accommodate vaccinated and unvaccinated employees, and the imperative need to educate employees about existing and emerging policies for safe restaurant dining in the current operating climate.