MIRI – It is a case of so near, yet so far for Sarawak food operators, with the dine-in ban reimposed just as they thought the worst was over.
The decision was made yesterday by the state Disaster Management Committee (DMC) after the state saw 472 new Covid-19 infections and two deaths, making for a total of 435 fatalities.
Later the same day, another 16 cases of the Delta variant were detected in Kuching.
The state DMC’s about-turn came hours before the dine-in restriction was slated to be lifted at midnight.
Sarawak PKR vice-chairman Dr Michael Teo Yu Keng told The Vibes that it is unwise to make last-minute U-turns when it comes to matters involving businesses, which are already suffering financial losses amid the pandemic.
“Many coffee-shop and restaurant operators were already preparing to open their doors, but were informed only yesterday evening that they will not be allowed to do so.
“The state DMC must stop making last-minute decisions like this. It impacts a lot of people and hits small food operators badly. They have already spent money, including on food items, in anticipation of reopening for dine-in today.
“They were told late yesterday that they cannot reopen as the state DMC is worried about the increasing infections, especially involving foreign variants (of the coronavirus).”
The Miri MP said the majority of coffee-shop operators here – as well as in the rest of the state – are small or medium businesses.
The state DMC had signalled over the last week that Sarawak would enter Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan today, with dine-in allowed and more business sectors to resume operations, he said.
Hwang Tung Chi, who owns a coffee shop at the Gold Jade Commercial Centre here with space that he also rents out to other food operators, said most customers prefer to dine in.
“Since dine-in was banned on June 1, we’ve lost a lot of business. Our regular customers prefer dining in as it is more convenient. This is especially so for office workers, whether in the government or private sector.
“For takeaways, we lose out to food delivery operators.” – The Vibes, July 14, 2021
