Diners rejoice with nasi kandar shops open round the clock

 

Late-night customers queuing up at Restoran Kassim Mustafa in Little India, Penang.

GEORGE TOWN: The relaxation of SOPs since April 1 has brought a sense of relief and rejoicing to diners in Penang, with their favourite nasi kandar outlets able to operate round the clock again.

Naveen, 24, from Kuala Lumpur, who was in town for a holiday, was ecstatic that these outlets could now open for 24 hours as it allowed people to satisfy their cravings for the popular Penang dish even late at night or early in the morning.

“Imagine the delight when you arrive at 1am or 2am from Kuala Lumpur and you see the nasi kandar shops are open,” he told FMT when spotted leaving Restoran Kassim Mustafa in Little India.

The bank employee said that with the relaxation, it would be convenient for him to get a late-night meal if he finished work late.

Azlan Abd Rahim, 48, said allowing restaurants to operate round the clock during Ramadan would make it convenient for Muslim customers to buy food for sahur (the morning meal before beginning fast).

‘Extend relaxation to other businesses’

Naveen hoped that the government would continue to allow restaurants to operate throughout the day even in the event of further Covid-19 outbreaks, citing the high vaccination rates among Malaysians.

He hoped that this would apply to other businesses such as bars as well.

Azlan said the management of the pandemic had improved. “Despite the number of new cases remaining high, the number of deaths has dropped, which means that the pandemic is under control. But still, we need to take care of ourselves,” he said.

An owner of a food outlet said 24-hour operations would help the sector recover after two years of movement restrictions. He said other countries had opened up their economies earlier.

However, a customer, Max Ooi, 44, hoped that the public would continue to observe the SOPs as crowds return to the nasi kandar outlets.

“Putrajaya must still enforce certain SOPs to mitigate the risk of infection. We must not let our guard down,” the car salesman said. - FMT