‘Think of Covid first’, Sibu companies told

SIBU: Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Clarence Ting has urged the business community here to put the fight against Covid-19 first, not when they can reopen for business amid the surge in the number of infections.

In a Facebook live chat, he said the people in Sibu, especially businesses, should work together to flatten the Covid-19 curve first or else businesses would suffer even more if the situation worsened.

Ting said he understood that it was not fair that businesses could not operate as they were not in the Sibu Division Disaster Management Committee (SDDMC) essential service list throughout the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) with enhanced standard operating procedures (SOPs) starting on Thursday (April 22) until April 26.

However, he said the drastic step had to be taken to bring down the cases as Sibu was already fighting the outbreak for three and a half months.

“When SDDMC put this sort of restriction, to try to reduce the movement, everybody in their mind is still thinking ‘how can I get it (businesses) open?.' That means you are not thinking of Covid first.

“You are thinking ‘I want to open, so I can do business'. If this continues, you will have no business to do. I, as a chairman of SMC, do not like to say this,” he said, adding that he received many requests from business operators that their business should be opened.

Ting also said that as a businessman himself, he also felt it was unfair that his travel agency was not allowed to operate but action has to be taken to drive down the cases.

He said if Sibu cannot reduce the number of cases, two things would happen: businesses will suffer even more, and hospitals will be overcrowded with patients.

Thus, he appealed to everyone to work together throughout this CMCO with enhanced SOP and reduce the movement in town.

“Sibu people are always so strong, we always say we are the best, but what is happening here, why Sibu cannot do it this time?” Ting asked. He said if the Covid19 situation in Sibu worsened, there was a possibility that the CMCO with enhanced SOP would be extended.

He assured that SDDMC would slowly open businesses again if the situation improves.

He also clarified that SDDMC was not following the list of essential services under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI).

“We are not following the MITI list of essential, we want to slow down the economy activities in Sibu but the MITI list is a very long list. If we use that list, it would be the same criticism that we received last Movement Control Order (MCO) because it felt like there was no MCO,” he said.

He also said that the night market was allowed to open because those allowed to operate which are the food sellers are entitled to do their business as they are part of the essential service.

However, he said all food operators are required to wear face shields and gloves as part of the SOP.

He also said SMC allowed Sibu Central Market to open to avoid overcrowding at other smaller markets.