KUCHING: The government should come up with special Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for some of the 23 business sectors, which are still not allowed to operate under the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) to resume operations soon, said Padungan State Assemblyman Wong King Wei.
He said almost all business sectors had been allowed resumption of operations from May 12, and the government should consider the same policy for businesses such as barber shops, beauty salons and photography.
“Almost all business activities have ceased for nearly two months. If certain sectors are still disallowed to operate, we will be seeing more closure of businesses, resulting in a higher unemployment rate,” he said.
Wong said he could understand the difficulty that the Sarawak State Government is in when it comes to striking a balance between containing the spread of Covid-19 and economy recovery.
Nevertheless, he said the government should not neglect the businesses that had recorded zero revenue since the enforcement of the MCO.
“What puzzles me is that the government will allow gatherings of not exceeding 20 people and outdoor activities involving not more than 10 people during the forthcoming festive celebrations. If such activities will be allowed, why can’t barber and beauty salons involving one-on-one activities be allowed?”
Wong thus proposed that the government come up with special SOP for the mentioned businesses to resume operations without jeopardising the efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.
He said these businesses could be required to resume operations based on appointments, and with limited number of customers.
Alternatively, he said the government could offer special financial aid to these business operators so that they could survive this crisis.
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