When Restaurant Reopen in the U.S., Temperature Checks and Masks Could Be the Norm | Eater

"A split-level Wyndham Street spot that operates as a sit-down restaurant upstairs and a bar downstairs, it sits on the edge of Lan Kwai Fong and SoHo and is popular with Cantonese locals for weekday lunches and expats at night ordering Negronis and veal. Since the pandemic hit, patrons face temperature checks at the door, visible police enforcing social-distance rules outside, and all staff wearing thin blue surgical masks; guests are also asked for contact details and to sign health declarations. The downstairs bar has been effectively shut as a hangout — stools removed, no lingering at the rail — and service flows with strict distancing, which can make simple interactions awkward (muffled speech behind masks even led to an unintended side of squash). The dining room remains lively but noticeably drained of its usual kinetic energy for solo diners, with masked chefs working in an open kitchen and tables spaced well apart." - Andrew Genung