MCA Youth: There should not be separate rules for eatery workers, patrons

 

The Federal Territories MCA Youth has urged the government not to have separate rules for eatery workers and customers.

This comes after police said there is no requirement for workers at eateries to be vaccinated if they want to allow dine-ins for fully vaccinated customers.

Federal Territories MCA Youth vice-chairperson Chris Daniel Wong said the National Security Council (NSC) must, immediately, clear up the confusion with regard to this matter.

“We cannot have two separate rules for employees and customers. I am fully in agreement… that workers must be fully vaccinated too,” Wong said.

It is a “grave mistake” to allow unvaccinated workers to serve fully vaccinated customers as even those who have been fully vaccinated can still get infected with Covid-19.

In order to have dine-ins without the chance of infections, both employees and customers must be fully vaccinated, he insisted.

Wong pointed to the example of Transport Minister and MCA president Wee Ka Siong, who had stressed the need for both customers and employees to be fully vaccinated if businesses wanted to be allowed to operate under the National Recovery Plan.

While Wee was speaking in the context of the automotive industry, Wong said it should logically apply to businesses in all sectors as well.

“From a business perspective, some might find this impractical, but if an infection breaks out in your restaurant, you might be faced with a long period of closure as your staff are taken away for isolation.

“Cost-wise, this is a better option,” he said.

Wong also suggested that the government makes mandatory periodic testing a requirement for Malaysian businesses to reopen, since even those who have been vaccinated can still be infected.

For this purpose, the government should provide subsidies for test kits, he said.

Penang wants dine-in allowed

The Penang state government also similarly hopes the government will reconsider its decision to allow dine-in service at eateries even if their operators and workers have not been inoculated against Covid-19.

“The Penang government has discussed the matter and hopes the existing SOPs can be revised to ensure operators and workers have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine before they are allowed to offer dine-ins.

“This means if the eateries have 10 workers and only five have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, then only the five are allowed to work at the eateries for dine-ins,” Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said, as reported by the New Straits Times yesterday.

It was reported yesterday that some eatery operators in Penang said they do not feel ready to allow fully vaccinated customers to dine in, as they themselves or their workers have not been vaccinated.

On Aug 8, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had announced that fully vaccinated individuals will enjoy relaxed restrictions amid the Covid-19 lockdown, which included being allowed to dine-in at eateries. - Mkini