Minister: Businesses should continue during MCO to prevent job losses

 

The government's decision to allow 38 types of businesses, including non-essentials, to operate during the movement control order (MCO) is to prevent job losses, said Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi.

He said although some businesses were non-essentials, they should be allowed to continue operating so their employees get wages to ensure their livelihood.

“Although a furniture shop is not essential, if we don’t allow it to operate, it will affect the business and indirectly affect the fate of its employees, especially when we are about to celebrate Aidilfitri.

"That's why we have to look from the angle of ensuring business continuity," he told reporters after launching the Jualan Prihatin Raya Programme in Putrajaya today.

Nanta (above) said the high level of compliance with standard operating procedures (SOPs) was also a key factor for the ministry to allow the distributive trade sector to continue operating during the MCO.

Of the 528,581 premises inspected as of Wednesday (May 5), Nanta said 98.36 percent or 520,028 complied with the SOP, 597 premises or 0.11 percent were warned, and only 178 premises or 0.03 percent were issued compound notices.

Yesterday, the ministry announced the distributive trade sector, including retail, wholesale, and distribution networks, can operate as usual throughout the MCO.

The government has announced the enforcement of MCO in several districts in Selangor from May 6 to 17 while Kuala Lumpur and several districts and sub-districts in Terengganu, Johor, and Perak are placed under MCO from today until May 20.

On Jualan Prihatin Raya, Nanta said the ministry was having strategic partnerships with major supplier companies to offer essential goods at affordable prices, much lower than the market price.

The goods include chicken, eggs, fish, sugar, cooking oil, flour, rice, and vegetables.

"A whole chicken is sold at RM8 while cooking oil in a 1kg pack is sold at RM2,” he said. - Mkini