Labuan eateries enforce new dine-in ruling

 

A notice at an eatery in Labuan requiring customers to be fully vaccinated before they can be allowed to dine-in. (Bernama pic)

LABUAN: Most eateries on the duty-free-island here have been enforcing a new policy of allowing only fully-vaccinated individuals to dine-in since last week.

Random checks by Bernama in the town centre showed that food and beverage outlet operators were of the view that strict implementation of the policy would help ensure continuity of business activities.

Labuan Disaster Management Committee chairman Rithuan Ismail said a Covid-19 Free Labuan Green Zone briefing was held on Aug 6 with the Labuan Chinese Chamber of Commerce, the Labuan Indian Business and Chamber of Commerce and Industry and nearly 100 members of the business community.

“The briefing was conducted by the Labuan health department and National Security Council (MKN) officers on the importance of an initiative by F&B outlet operators to implement a policy on dine-in for only fully vaccinated customers.

“The policy will help the continuity of business operations. We never know as infections might come from unvaccinated customers. This will also help us move towards a Labuan Covid-19 green zone,” he said.

Living Room restaurant and bistro managing director Balvir Singh said the new policy would greatly help Labuan’s Covid-19 taskforce to contain the spread of infections.

‘We are obliged to assist the taskforce contain the pandemic, which is far from over. We feel the strict policy we have just implemented today will help fence sitters here to get vaccinated,” he said.

Balvir, who is also a Labuan Indian Chamber of Commerce committee member, said all Living Room staff had been fully vaccinated.

‘Our chamber had appealed to the federal government in July to consider allowing customers who have been fully vaccinated to dine-in at the island’s F&B outlets.

“We must thank the government for the relaxation as the flexibility would greatly help F&B operators to stay afloat during this pandemic,” he said.

Checks at other restaurants, including an eatery selling fish soup at the Paragon commercial complex, showed that they had also imposed the new policy and did not receive any complaints from customers.

They checked the vaccination status of customers at the main door through the MySejahtera app on their smartphones and accepted printed vaccination certificates too.

Most eateries are imposing a blanket rule allowing only two persons per table.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced yesterday that dine-ins would be allowed for fully vaccinated individuals from tomorrow in states that have transitioned out of Phase 1 of the national recovery plan. - FMT