- Title: Afghan restaurant dishes out more online orders amid virus lockdown
- Date: 21st May 2020
- Summary: KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (MAY 18, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF AFGHAN RESTAURANT STAFF CUTTING MEAT AND TOMATOES VARIOUS OF STAFF MAKING PIZZA STAFF PUTTING PIZZA IN OVEN (MUTE) TIMELAPSE OF RESTAURANT STAFF WORKING IN KITCHEN (SOUNDBITE) (Dari) ASSISTANT MANAGER OF 'MR. COOK' RESTAURANT, FAZEL ALI, SAYING: "Since the outbreak of the coronavirus in Afghanistan and the lockdown in
- Embargoed: 4th June 2020 12:41
- Keywords: Afghanistan COVID-19 Kabul coronavirus delivery lockdown online order
- Location: KABUL, AFGHANISTAN
- City: KABUL, AFGHANISTAN
- Country: Afghanistan
- Reuters ID: LVA001CEVH3RB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Kabul may be in lockdown, but the kitchen is bustling at Mr. Cook, a fast-food restaurant where staff are busy chopping meat and tomatoes and putting pizzas into the oven.
While many bazaars and restaurants are closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Mr. Cook can stay open as it is one of the few restaurants in the city - and country - providing online orders and delivery to customers.
Assistant manager Fazil Ali says the restaurant has averaged about 60 online orders a day during Ramadan, coming mostly through Facebook.
"Since the outbreak of the coronavirus in Afghanistan and the lockdown in Kabul, compared with last year, we have had an increase in our online food orders, especially during this holy month of Ramadan," Ali said, although he declined to specify by how much. Mr. Cook first opened almost three years ago, and has offered online service since then.
The restaurant is not immune to the virus' impact - it initially had to lay off 20 staff, and now operates with a total of 25, although Ali said he hopes to eventually bring them back. He added that the remaining staff are taking precautions, including wearing masks and gloves and using hand sanitizer.
Still, the virus is top of mind for 21-year-old delivery man, Mohammad Azam, who rides his motorbike through the streets.
"It's a tough situation, and I have to work to earn money and afford the daily needs of my family so that we would be able to continue our life normally," said the breadwinner for his family of eight. He earns 9,000 Aghanis ($118) a month.
He said he feels good knowing he is allowing others to stay inside and avoid infection. But he does still think about a future when life might return to normal.
"I hope that the coronavirus will have vanished from Afghanistan and that people could get together once again," he said.
The city of six million was put on lockdown on March 28 to curb the spread of coronavirus, with offices, public transportation, and most businesses closed.
Afghanistan has recorded 8,676 cases of the coronavirus and 193 deaths as of Thursday (May 21), according to the health ministry.
(Production: Hameed Farzad, Sayed Hassib, Samargul Zwak) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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