March 11, 2020
Restaurant Takes Customers’ Temperatures Upon Entry Due to Coronavirus Fear
You’d have to be living under a rock to not know that the coronavirus is suddenly spreading like wildfire. Well, one restaurant is taking extreme measures by checking the temperatures of patrons as they enter the restaurant, according to The Orange County Register.
The Sichuan Impression restaurant, which is located in Tustin, California, and its two sister restaurants in Alhambra and West Los Angeles, are doing their due diligence in trying to prevent the spread of COVID-19, also known as coronavirus. As customers approach the front door of the restaurant, they are stopped before being allowed in, similar to going to a trendy club and having to be searched to gain entry. But, instead of searching for weapons, they are searching for fevers.
Temperatures are taken with a non-contact, infrared thermometer that can register the body heat from a slight distance. Since January, co-owner Kelly Xiao has estimated that the Tustin location alone has scanned the foreheads of thousands of customers.
“We have family in China, so we understand the importance of doing everything we can to protect both our customers and our workers,” said co-owner Kelly Xiao to The Orange County Register. “Everybody has a responsibility to do what they can do.”
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Sichuan Impression implemented the policy in late January, with fears of the outbreak being more realistic, explaining in a notice posted at the door that “a healthy and safe dining environment” is a priority for “guests who come from all corners of the world.”
Each customer is tested and any temperature higher than 99.8 would get you turned away in the same fashion as a club finding a weapon on your person. And it’s not just customers who must pass ‘inspection’, employees must undergo brief physicals twice a day to continue their work duties at the restaurant. All surfaces, including doorknobs and high chairs, are wiped with disinfectant throughout the day.
As one would anticipate, only a few people have declined, Xiao said, as they feel it is a violation of their privacy. The ones who refuse are just asked to exit. “Most say, ‘Sure, it’s for our own good,’” she added. And as of now, the restaurant’s thermometer has not caught a problem.