Uiwang City Temporarily Permits Single-Use Disposables at Food Establishments

[Suwon Ilbo=Kim Su-ji] Uiwang City announced on the 27th that it will temporarily permit the use of single-use disposables at food establishments to prevent the spread of infectious disease following the elevation of the COVID-19 crisis level to "severe."

The applicable targets are food service businesses under Article 36 of the Food Sanitation Act, including general restaurants and casual dining establishments that are closely related to the daily lives of local residents, and permitted single-use items include disposable cups, plates, utensils, and chopsticks.

The use of single-use disposables is permitted when sufficient disinfection and cleaning of reusable containers is difficult or when customers request it, and this allowance will continue until the infectious disease crisis alert level is downgraded to the "caution" stage.

Bang Kyung-mi, Director of the Sanitation Division, stated, "The temporary allowance of single-use disposables has been granted to alleviate citizens' concerns about COVID-19 transmission and to take all possible measures to prevent the spread of infectious disease." She added, "However, we ask for citizens' cooperation in minimizing the use of single-use disposables by prioritizing hygiene management through dishwashing and disinfection rather than indiscriminate use of disposables."