KUALA LUMPUR – Health experts have warned of “restaurant clusters” emerging if food handlers and other staff of outlets open for dine-in are not fully inoculated against Covid-19.
Universiti Putra Malaysia epidemiologist and biostatistician Assoc Prof Dr Malina Osman urged the authorities to make it mandatory for all workers in the food and beverage industry to be fully vaccinated before they serve dine-in customers.
“We are concerned because the Delta variant is highly transmissible. And, individuals who are fully vaccinated are still able to contract Covid-19 and transmit the virus, serving as carriers.
“Based on past experience, we cannot rely on SOPs alone. It would be ideal if 100% of workers are vaccinated, or at least 80% of them, so that there is a mechanism to protect them,” she told The Vibes.
Following Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s announcement that fully vaccinated individuals in states under Phase 2 upwards of the National Recovery Plan are allowed to dine in at restaurants, confusion reigns over workers’ vaccination status.
On Thursday, National Security Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Rodzi Md Saad clarified that it is not mandatory for restaurant employees to be fully immunised.
George Town district police chief Soffian Santong shared the same sentiment, saying the NSC is clear that only customers must be fully vaccinated, not eatery staff.
However, restaurants should display how many of their workers are fully vaccinated, and customers can make the choice (whether) to eat at a particular outlet.
“The NSC SOPs are very clear on this, and there should not be any confusion on dine-in at restaurants.”
Implement ‘safety bubble’ in all sectors
Dr Malina said a “safety bubble” should be introduced where only eatery employees who have received both vaccine doses are allowed to work.
“There should be a safety bubble in place, where both customers and food handlers have to be fully inoculated.
“Why is the government so strict on the reconvening and closing of Parliament? Why didn’t they state that Parliament staff do not need to be vaccinated for the sitting to resume?
“The authorities should standardise the SOPs and implement safety bubbles in all sectors.”
Consultant paediatrician Datuk Dr Amar-Singh HSS said the decision to allow dine-in is “very premature as it is not based on data and science”.
Although he is supportive of efforts to reopen the economy, he reminded that most public health experts disagree with issuing vaccination certificates at a time when Delta is raging.
We are of the view that the government should defer this (policy) until more young people are vaccinated because the Delta variant can make them very ill and cause fatalities as well.
“We are already coping with a massive outbreak in the country. The last thing we want is for people to unmask and eat together at restaurants.”
Proper indoor ventilation to cut transmission
Acknowledging that new Covid-19 variants are airborne, Dr Amar called on Putrajaya to look into improving indoor air quality and ventilation to reduce transmission.
He noted that Malaysia has the National Ventilation Guide, but it is not being implemented by premises.
“We haven’t fixed our shops, offices and schools. We need to overdrive this month to fix every indoor environment, except for homes.
“The government should monitor the situation. If we cannot fix indoor ventilation, don’t take off your mask.”
Federation of Malaysian Consumers’ Associations (Fomca) chief executive Saravanan Thambirajah said many are confused over the sudden SOP relaxation at a time when the nation is seeing a five-figure infection tally daily.
He said businesses are confounded, and expressed fear of fake vaccination certificates being used.
“Who will authenticate the MySejahtera app?
Customers could use a screenshot of the vaccination certificate (belonging to someone else) when (the customer) is actually a close contact, or worse, an infected individual. It’s not very conducive or trustworthy; technology can be easily manipulated.”
He pleaded for the government to reconsider loosening curbs to avoid the country being placed under a fresh lockdown should coronavirus cases hit another record high.
He said the public can still buy food online through various delivery services, such as GrabFood and Foodpanda, with many restaurants now surviving thanks to the gig economy.
Fomca’s stand is to ensure that consumers are safe and stay away from dine-in for the time being.
“We don’t want another lockdown. Businesses are already closing down for good, and many are losing their jobs,” said Saravanan. – The Vibes, August 16, 2021
