Now that the catering industry is opening again, you might feel like a terrace or a nice evening out for dinner. Because of corona you have to book a table anyway. But what information can the catering operator ask from you? And – at least as important – which ones don’t?
Just sitting down on a terrace or a spontaneous dinner outside the door is not yet possible. Due to the 1.5 meter distance, every catering entrepreneur is obliged to monitor the number of guests carefully. Always call or book online first.
The health check
Before entering a catering facility, you must answer a number of questions. If you refuse, the employee of the catering facility will not admit you. You can expect the following questions as part of the health check:
• Did you have a cough, sneeze, shortness of breath or fever in the past 24 hours?
• Does a housemate suffer from a fever or shortness of breath?
• Have you been diagnosed with corona in the past week?
• Has a housemate had corona in the past two weeks and were you in contact with this person?
If you answer ‘yes’ to one of these questions, the catering employee will ask you to make a new appointment so that you can come back at a different time.
Health check: what is not allowed?
Information about your health is of course private. There are therefore rules regarding the health check in the catering industry. These rules should ensure that your data is not retained:
• The cafe or restaurant employee is not allowed to register your answers – not on paper, not in a tablet or computer;
• The employee may not ask you to take your temperature;
• If you book online, no questions about your health may be asked in the reservation form.
Information about your health is subject to the General Data Protection Regulation.
A joint household?
If you are more than three people, the employee of the catering facility will ask you on arrival whether the three of you form a household. The reason for this is simple: if you do not live in a house together, you must keep 1.5 meters away. If the catering employee saves or writes down the information about the composition of your household, you can ask the employee for the reason. Inquiries with the Dutch Data Protection Authority show that this information does not necessarily fall under ‘special personal data’ – as medical personal data does. However, there is no reason whatsoever for a catering establishment to keep this data.
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