MANILA -- Restaurants in general community quarantine areas can now allow customers to dine in for up to 30 percent of store capacity, in a further unwinding of nearly 3-month old coronavirus restrictions, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said Thursday.

Accepting dine-in customers will require inspection for compliance with health protocols from the Inter-agency Task Force on the pandemic, Lopez told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

The IATF approved limited dine-in for restaurants and fast food branches late Wednesday on the trade department's recommendation, Lopez said.

"At least makapag-umpisa man lang yung mga trabaho, maibalik agad sa ating mga kababayang nasa restaurant lalo na itong dine-in operation. Kasi malaking portion ng mga restaurant ang dine-in, mga 70 to 80 percent po yan," Lopez said.

(At least our workers can get their jobs back, especially those in restaurants because dine-in operations account for 70 to 80 percent.)

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Restaurants can accommodate dine-in customers up to 50 percent capacity when areas shift to Modified GCQ from GCQ. Modified GCQ is the lowest quarantine classification before the "new normal" with minimum health standards.

Metro Manila, which accounts for a third of the economy and home to a tenth of the country's 100 million people, is under GCQ.

Food establishments will follow the following minimum health protocols earlier set by government:

Those who violate health protocols will be warned or closed, Lopez said.

• Buffets prohibited, fast-food dining allowed under modified general quarantine