PENAMPANG: Eateries and coffee shop operators in Sabah have been fighting for survival since the Movement Control Order (MCO) was enforced last March.
"We have reached a situation like a patient being administered with a (intravenous) drip in hospital as we don't have regular income. With further lockdown, more will be out of business in near future," warned Kedai Kopi Loi Hin owner Richard Yong at the Donggongon township here.
The popular ngiu chap (mixed beef) shop has experienced a drastic drop in business by 80 per cent, despite operating for takeaways and delivery services.
After resuming business for about a week, eateries in Sabah were struggling as the latest standard operating procedure (SOP) from the National Security Council (NSC) did not include dining in.
However, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the state government's directive allowing dining in following the implementation of Phase One of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) was still in force.
This was further reaffirmed by Sabah's Covid-19 spokesperson Datuk Masidi Manjun who stated the state government's move to allow dine-in at eateries would remain effective under Phase 2 of the NRP which started yesterday (July 10).
Mayor Noorliza Alip said the Kota Kinabalu City Hall (KKCH) is following the dine-in provision under the state government's directive following the chief minister's statement issued on Saturday.
"We depend on the chief minister's announcement to reopen the shop and we are following the earlier SOP of 50 per cent seating capacity of two per table. At least they allow dining in to enable us to survive," said Yong.
"Allowing patrons to dine at eateries will help us generate income to pay workers' salaries and also our own expenses. Although we don't operate, business operators still have to pay for monthly commitments including utility bills," said Yong who also lamented the confusion on the SOP.
"Although we can now resume operations, there is confusion in the air. For instance, they announce something today and tomorrow things change.
"This happened to me, I opened for business in the morning, but was told to close during lunch time after the Sabah West Coast Coffee Shops Association chairman informed that there was no greenlight yet for eateries to open," said Yong.
He said the authorities must be firm in their decision because the frequent U-turns had disrupted food operators' businesses.
"We are now in a dire situation as we don't have business. We have to open otherwise we will be having a hard time to put food on the table," said Yong, adding that the dine-ins and takeaways at the moment can cover at least 50 per cent of the operation cost.
Meanwhile, Dywne James, a customer, said the Sabah chief minister's decision to allow dine-ins was a relief after being confined at home for a long time.
"It was quite stressful to just do takeaways and food deliveries because when the food arrives at home, it does not feel fresh anymore.
"Although we support the food delivery riders, we have to pay extra charges at RM5 (RM2 for small order and RM3 for delivery) if accumulated, this can be quite expensive too," said the mother of one whose husband works in Brunei.
"Coffee shops are a good place to de-stress during these trying times. Raising a child without a maid can be quite challenging especially when my son can't go out.
"Don't forget that children tend to get stressed too when they are confined at home for a long time. I also believe parents should be responsible in taking care of their own children by adhering to the strict SOP," she said.
"I felt relieved when the Sabah government allowed dine-ins because when I work from home, coffee shops are my happy place to visit. Also, I can play my part to support their businesses," said Dywne. - NST
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