The government's move to only allow business premises to operate between 8am to 8pm has come under criticism from restaurant and stall owners.
They said the new standard operating procedure (SOP) did not take into consideration the situation on the ground.
Some eatery owners Malaysiakini spoke to said most people may not be able to have their breakfast before starting work.
They said the new operating hours will not only affect their customers but also have an impact on their income, which may lead to some closing temporarily in order to prevent further losses.
Low, a noodle stall owner who operates from 6.30am to 2pm, said she is likely to lose 30 percent of her customers as some of them visit her stall and buy food before they leave for work before 8am.
“Normally, many customers come to buy breakfast between 6.30am to 8am. After 8am, there will only be few customers.”
She said these workers are usually those who live alone and have trouble cooking at their rental place.
“What are they going to do now?” Low asked.
She said some of these customers have expressed their frustration with the new regulation which will be implemented from tomorrow.
Coffee shop operator Chong, who normally starts his business at 7am, said ever since dine-ins were not allowed, his business has suffered.
He said he is worried that the situation may get worse under the new operating hours.
“There is nothing I can do. If I operate (before 8am), I may risk getting an RM10,000 compound.”
'Meat and vegetables now very expensive'
Hema, who sells Indian food, agreed with Low. She said 30 percent of her customers come before 8am and that would affect her daily total income.
She told Malaysiakini that she may consider not operating if she keeps on losing customers.
“Every day I have to bear the operating costs. The rental fee is RM50 and another RM50 for my employee’s daily wage. Meat and vegetables are now very expensive.
“I will see the situation in the coming weeks. If I earn less than RM50 daily, it is better for me to take a rest," Hema said.
She suggested that government allow eateries to start operating from 6am or 7am.
Meanwhile, another stall owner who only wants to be known as Raja, is unhappy that food and beverage businesses can only operate until 8pm.
He said the government is repeating the same mistakes made when the MCO 2.0 was implemented.
“If they close at 8pm, the workers will not have time to go and buy food after finishing work,” Raja added.
In order to tighten the current movement control order (MCO 3.0), Senior Minister Ismail Sabri announced that the operating hours of commercial premises are limited from 8am to 8pm.
Earlier this year, the government had set a time limit for restaurants and eateries to operate only between 6am and 8pm daily for seven states under MCO 2.0.
This led to some venting their frustration via Twitter.
The government then decided to extend the operating hours in states that are under MCO to 10pm. - Mkini
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