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Uptown Restaurant To Require Customers To Fill Out Forms For Potential COVID-19 Contact Tracing

CHICAGO (CBS) -- You'll have to fill out some paperwork before you sit down to eat at an acclaimed Chicago restaurant.

CBS 2's Tara Molina on Wednesday night got an inside look at how the owner of an Uptown hot spot is preparing for indoor dining when Phase 4 of the pandemic reopening process begins on Friday.

At Sun Wah BBQ, 5039 N. Broadway, anyone who wants to enjoy a meal will have to fill out a form first – whether they're dining inside or out.

In business for more than 30 years, the family-owned Sun Wah BBQ is known for roast duck and pork. Carryout has kept them going for the past few months, but only at about 30 percent of their usual business.

"It helped us make ends meet for the interim," said general manager Kelly Cheng.

Cheng said the restaurant is hoping that changes with Phase 4 on Friday, when they can welcome guests again.

But she says anyone who wants to sit down and enjoy a meal will have to sign a form first.

"Everyone at the table planning on dining needs to sign it and leave us their information so we have it," she said.

The form is a health declaration form. Customers include their name, contact information, and a signature.

They are to affirm, "I have not tested positive or been identified as an asymptomatic carrier of COVID-19."

Cheng got the idea from a restaurant chain in Hong Kong, and calls it an added layer of safety - especially when it comes to possible exposure.

"The form will remain private and confidential unless it is necessary to contact-trace any COVID-19-cases," Cheng said.

Cheng said the form isn't legally binding, and she's already addressing privacy concerns.

"The form will be destroyed in 60 days," she said.

We asked CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller about the plan at Sun Wah. He said there is not really a precedent here, and owners like Cheng are free to impose more stringent regulations than the government requires.

"If it helps people, if it convinces people we are still in a pandemic and need to stay safe, then it's worth it," Miller said.

Miller said at the end of the day, it's up to you, the customer, and if you want to go to a place where you'll have to take extra precautions.

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