GEORGE TOWN – The first day of dining in and tourism activities being reopened here turned out to be a woebegone affair as the public treads cautiously, with Penang continuing to record high infection rates.
As of yesterday, the island state recorded over 50,000 Covid-19 cases.
Despite the ongoing number of infections, Penang remains listed under Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP), with dining in and frequenting tourist spots allowed for those who are fully vaccinated.
Despite it being a public holiday today, a survey of food outlets and hotels in Bayan Baru found hardly anyone dining in, while most establishments opted to continue with food deliveries rather than open up for fully vaccinated guests.
Among fast food chains that continued to bar dine-ins were Subway and Spade Burger. Workers said that they are studying how to best ensure safety for both workers and clients.
Entrepreneur Lim Eng Soon, who manages a bistro here, reasoned that there were no crowds because people continue to fear the possibility of getting infected with Covid-19.
“It is a combination of several things. People prefer to avoid dining out because of the Delta variant threat and of late, there are many reports of vaccinated people getting infected. The breakthrough variants are unsettling for many of my customers.”
Lim said that demand for food deliveries continues, although it is pricier than dining in at the shops or hotels.
Malaysian Association of Hotels Penang chapter chairman K. Raj Kumar reckoned that the hotels are ready to open their facilities and outlets, but he expects that they can only resume operating at a normal pace by next week.
“It will take time to get the staffers ready for reopening.”
Meanwhile, tourism officials told The Vibes that the industry overall will take time to adjust to the NRP as many were forced to close for a while and some resorted to permanently shutting down.
Despite the loosening of restrictions under the NRP, private medical practitioners here urged caution, saying that new infections in Penang continue to rise despite the majority of those fully vaccinated not falling seriously ill following Covid-19 infection.
They have advised to reduce the infection cases first before the standard operating procedures can eventually be eased in stages. – The Vibes, August 10, 2021
Additional reporting by Rachel Yeoh
