Penang urges federal govt to review business operating hours based on daily COVID cases

GEORGE TOWN, June 24 -- The Penang state government has urged the federal government to reconsider the operating hours for food stall businesses as the number of daily confirmed cases varies from state to state.

State Housing, Local Government, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said he had received several applications and complaints from food stall hawkers especially those at  public market areas and temporary hawker sites, urging that they be allowed to operate as early as 6am, the same time as market traders.

"We need to strike a balance between health safety and economic security. The number of COVID-19 cases in Penang yesterday was 159 while Selangor had 2,001 cases. This is a big difference but the outcome or standard operating procedures (SOPs) are the same. This needs to be reviewed.

“It is not logical if they (food hawkers and public market traders) operate at the same place but food hawkers have to wait two hours after the market starts operating. Usually customers will buy food while shopping for their daily necessities in the market ... If they (food hawkers) operate later,  then there will be no sales,” he told a press conference here today.

He said the committee had sent a letter of application to review the operating hours for food hawkers to the National Security Council (MKN) on May 31 but received a reply on June 3, that the opening hours would remain at 8 am.

"Yesterday, the local authorities (PBT) sent another letter of appeal to MKN and I will personally contact the relevant minister to discuss this matter," he said.

In the meantime, he said vaccine registrations among Penang residents now stands at 991,000 as compared to the 1.34 million target. 

Penang local authorities had conducted over two million inspections since the pandemic started and so far the state has recorded an SOP compliance rate of 99 per cent.

-- BERNAMA