HIDE: Three Sabah shopping malls reopen
KOTA KINABALU: The three shopping malls in Sabah – Karamunsing Complex, Centre Point and Suria Sabah – which were identified as potential Covid-19 hotspots under the Hotspots Identification for Dynamic Engagement (HIDE) and ordered to close for three days, have reopened their doors to shoppers following the state government’s intervention.
Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun said the Sabah Covid-19 Disaster Management Committee had decided not to close the shopping malls.
Instead, he said the People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) and Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) have been instructed to be stationed at the entrances of shopping malls to prevent overcrowding.
“Shoppers will not be allowed to enter the malls if the number of shoppers in the premises has exceeded the capacity.
“They will have to wait for other shoppers to exit the malls (before they are allowed to enter),” he said in a statement yesterday.
Masidi, who is also Sabah’s official Covid-19 spokesperson, said the state government would only close and sanitise shopping malls when there were Covid-19 cases reported.
He said the State Covid-19 Disaster Management Committee chaired by the State Secretary would decide when to close malls listed under HIDE.
“We accept the fact that malls listed under HIDE would have to be closed for public health auditing and disinfection, but mall operators and management should be given advance notice,” he said.
The sudden order to close shopping malls identified as potential Covid-19 hotspots under the HIDE list caught mall operators and tenants off guard.
Karamunsing Complex proprietor Datuk James Hwong said the police visited the mall around 11am yesterday and ordered the tenants to close without prior notice.
He pointed out that Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin had reportedly said that premises listed under HIDE were not confirmed Covid-19 clusters and did not need to close.
He estimated that the closure would affect more than 1,000 tenants in the three shopping malls in Sabah which were on the HIDE list, namely Karamunsing Complex, Centre Point and Suria Sabah.
Hwong said the tenants were banking on the Hari Raya sales and the three-day closure would seriously affect their potential revenue. Khairy has said that the premises and locations listed under the HIDE early warning system were not confirmed Covid-19 clusters, but they have the potential to turn into clusters if pre-emptive actions were not taken. Khairy also said that the premises listed under HIDE did not need to close except when directed by the authorities.
However, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Saturday said premises including Ramadan bazaars listed under the HIDE system as Covid-19 risk locations would be ordered to close for three days effective immediately.
Hwong said the police entered Karamunsing Complex yesterday morning and ordered the tenants, who were already opened for business, to shut down. He claimed that no prior notice was given to the shopping complex, which has more than 400 tenants.
“The food and beverage (F&B) operators in our complex were forced to throw away the food they have already prepared for the day.”
He estimated that the closure of Karamunsing Complex, Centre Point and Suria Sabah would affect more than 1,000 tenants – around 400 in Karamunsing Complex, 400 in Centre Point and 500 in Suria Sabah.
Hwong said the management of Karamunsing Complex later received a call from the police at 3pm informing them that the mall was allowed to reopen.
“The state government and Health Department should issue an official directive if they require shopping malls to close. The authorities cannot order us to close simply based on what the minister has said without official documentation of the directive.”
Meanwhile, Centre Point Sabah, which had earlier announced on Facebook that the mall would be closed for sanitisation from May 9 to 11, also reopened later yesterday evening.
Suria Sabah, which was closed temporarily in the morning, also reopened several hours later.
Shoppers will not be allowed to enter the malls if the number of shoppers in the premises has exceeded the capacity. They will have to wait for other shoppers to exit the malls (before they are allowed to enter).
Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun