CMCO: Govt extends business operating hours to 12am

 

Operating hours for businesses in states placed under the conditional movement control order (MCO), including restaurants and convenience stores, have been extended to 12am, announced Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

This was decided by the National Security Council (NSC) following requests for eateries to operate beyond 10pm, which is the time limit imposed on businesses to open during the conditional MCO period.

"Many had complained, particularly netizens, restaurant associations and the Muslim community, as they are unable to get food after completing the isyak prayer at 9pm," he said at a daily briefing on Covid-19 today.

Ismail Sabri acknowledged that the restriction on operating hours had impacted businesses.

"The matter was discussed at the NSC meeting today and it was agreed that restaurants and other businesses, including convenience stores, grocery shops and petrol stations, can open until 12am," he said.

The new ruling on the operating hours will take effect tomorrow.

For this round of the conditional MCO, the government decided to allow business, economic and industrial activities to resume with conditions. Restaurants, food trucks, food courts, hawker stalls, kiosks and grocery shops were permitted to operate from 6am to 10pm while daily markets can open between 6am and 2pm.

Dining at a restaurant is allowed, however, takeaway, drive-through and delivery are encouraged.

Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri said the government is considering to allow Malaysians working in Singapore to commute daily to work.

"Malaysians who are staying in Singapore are allowed to come home, we do not impose any restriction for Malaysians and their spouses who are non-Malaysians to return here," he said.

"We were informed that there are 200,000 Malaysians who commute (daily) to work in Singapore and some of them take motorcycles.

"This is being discussed by the foreign ministry as it a bilateral matter between the government of Malaysia and Singapore," he added.

The standard operating procedure (SOP) on the Malaysia-Singapore daily commute, which was jointly drafted by the Johor state government and the state Health Department, has been submitted to the Health Ministry and will be presented to the Foreign Ministry.

"Before the Foreign Ministry agrees to this, we will request the Health Ministry to discuss it with its Singapore counterpart," Ismail said.

The defence minister explained that the requirement needed to be ironed out before the foreign affairs ministries from both countries can officially engage each other on the matter.

Yesterday, the New Straits Times reported that at least 100 Malaysians working in Singapore have become homeless as they could not afford to rent a room or a bed in the island state.

They were stuck in Singapore due to the need to maintain their livelihood and also because some employers set regulations that forced them to remain in Singapore despite the Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) facility to return to Malaysia.

Among the rules affecting their employability is the 14-day mandatory quarantine upon returning to Malaysia despite being only allowed to take short leave, and another round of quarantine when returning to Singapore.

Due to these circumstances and prohibitive costs, some Malaysians have resorted to sleeping by the roadside or on public benches and bathing in public toilets while often skipping meals. - Mkini