Main image via Twitter
All around the world, countries are slowly loosening their COVID-19 lockdown measures. But with loosening measures comes stricter SOPs to ensure that people everywhere practice social distancing to curb the spread of the virus.
Recently, a restaurant in Thailand started using stuffed pandas to help their customers with social distancing, now a Japanese zoo is using stuffed capybaras to do the same!
via GIPHY
A café at Izu Shaboten Zoo in Shizuoka, Japan, has recently reopened their doors and introduced the use of stuffed capybaras to ensure their customers safety.
Not only is the idea super cute, it also forces those visiting the café to not sit too close to each other while enjoying the company of these cuddly toys instead.
According to the zoo’s website, this new innovative idea was put into place to ensure their customers enjoy their meals with some “peace of mind”.
Image via Twitter
“At GIBBONTEI, a forest animal restaurant in the Izu Shaboten Zoological Park, stuffed animals such as capybaras and red pandas share a seat with customers, contributing not only to their cuteness but also to ensure social distance of the audience,” the zoo’s website reads.
“And as part of measures to prevent new coronavirus infection, we have changed the table layout so that customers who are eating can keep a sufficient distance, and stuffed animals can also ‘replace’ and share a seat with capybara or red panda,” the website continued. “[This] has been devised so that the social distance can be secured naturally.”
Image via Twitter
The zoo also added that hand sanitisers have been installed at the entrance and exit of the café. The staff has also ensured that the tables, chairs and stuffed animals are thoroughly disinfected before a new party uses a table.
If you’re wondering why the café uses capybaras as their main social-distance companion, it’s simply because the restaurant was renovated in spring 2018 and after doing so, the capybara stuffed toys became ‘the face of the restaurant’.
Image via Twitter
With these adorable companions to help, we’re sure that social distancing can easily become the new normal. We know we’d definitely want to dine with these stuffed capybaras!
What are your thoughts on these new inventive measures to ensure social distancing? Is it productive? Let us know!
In the meantime, be sure to keep playing your part by staying safe and staying home, and only going out if it’s absolutely necessary. And if you’re going out, be sure to practice social distancing.
Stay updated with the latest COVID-19 news here: https://en.syok.my/covid-19
Info via Unilad