Amid overcrowding, some grocers offer special shopping hours for seniors

CORONAVIRUS | The boss of the hypermarket chain Mydin has called for calm, amid a wave of panic buying in the country.

Mydin managing director Ameer Ali Mydin said that senior citizens and disabled people can access Mydin stores half-an-hour earlier, at 7.30am, starting tomorrow.

"(This is) exclusively for senior citizens and the disabled.

"We know they are the most vulnerable during these difficult times so let’s give them the time and space to shop, we will also open a dedicated cashier counter for them," he said.

Jaya Grocer has also announced that it will open at 9.30am for the elderly and vulnerable so they can shop in a "safe and worry-free environment".

 Ameer Ali also assured that there would be enough supply of essential goods.

"Let’s not do panic buying, our suppliers have assured us there is an adequate supply of essentials to meet our requirements, let’s be considerate.

"We are all in this together, and we will come out of this stronger only if we work together as Malaysians. We can do it, we have the 'Malaysia Boleh' spirit, stay calm, have hope," he said on Instagram yesterday

He had posted a photo of a Mydin store which he said was fully packed since morning.

There had been a surge of panic buying since yesterday amid fears that the government would issue a lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19.

However, grocers will remain open and are not affected by the two-week partial shutdown ordered by the government that will take effect tomorrow.

Health experts have also warned against panic buying, as the crowds can lead to a risk of Covid-19 infections.

Food delivery to proceed as usual

E-hailing and food delivery service provider Grab has announced that its services would continue to operate throughout the timeframe of the control movement order.

"We would like to assure you that all our services namely, GrabFood, GrabMart, Transport and GrabExpress, will continue to operate as usual," it said in a statement on Facebook today.

Foodpanda, another popular food delivery provider, has yet to make an announcement.

It's unclear how restaurants will operate following the prime minister's announcement yesterday but restaurants such as MyBurgerLab said if allowed, it would proceed to operate with only delivery and takeaway options.

Buses and trains to operate as usual

Meanwhile, Prasarana Malaysia Berhad says its busses and trains will also be operating as usual.

However, it said the frequency may change once the company can gauge the number of users under the movement control order where non-essential businesses and services would be closed from tomorrow to March 31.

"Considering that the movement control order is being done for the first time, we need to determine the suitable frequency as we do not yet know the number of passengers who will be using our services beginning tomorrow and for the period of the order," said its group operations officer Muhammad Nizam Alias. - Mkini