BUSINESS AS USUAL IN SETAPAK
Despite report of new cluster, customers continue to throng eateries, supermarkets
THE business community in Med an Ida man, Setap ak appears tobe undeterred by the emergence of a new Covid-19 cluster here.
It was business as usual as customers thronged eateries, supermarkets and hawker stalls in the area.
Lee Kang Yaw, who works as a store manager at Pasaraya Ong Tai Kim here, said the supermarket had not let its guard down since the Movement Control Order (MCO) came into force six months ago.
“We are still adhering to all the standard operating procedures, such as the mandatory face mask rule, body temperature scanning and MySejahtera registration under the ongoing Recovery MCO.
“In fact, we store our customers’ details and body temperatures in our server to make contac ttracing easier in any eventuality,” he told the New Straits Times yesterday.
Lee said the supermarket had also taken preventive steps to safeguard employees.
“For example, we still maintain the glass shields erected at our cashier counters during the MCO to avoid direct contact between our employees and customers.”
The supermarket has also stationed security guards near
cashier counters to ensure customers abide by the one-metre physical distancing rule.
Lee said the authorities are also keeping business owners in the area on their toes with surprise inspections, sometimes thrice in a day.
He was confident that the supermarket would be able to continue operating in the event an Enhanced MCO is imposed in Setapak following a spike in Covid-19 cases in the area.
“We can continue our business but we need to restock our supplies because people will start
panic-buying the moment they hear EMCO is in effect.”
However, optimism appears to be fading at hawker stalls located opposite the supermarket.
Zaitun Sulaiman, who runs a fruit stall, said her business would not be able to weather another round of EMCO because she has not even recovered the losses incurred during the previous MCO.
“Most of the hawkers here did
not survive the MCO and had closed their stalls for good ,” she said, pointing to the empty tents near her stall.
Zaitun said the public must behave more responsibly and abide by physical distancing rules to curb the Covid-19 transmission.
“At best, we can provide them only with hand sanitisers.
“If they are sick, they should avoid going outdoors because they can infect others.”